BY KAVYA RAM MOHAN, PLACES FELLOW17 PLACES
Architects looking to create spectacular structures have many tricks up their sleeves, but one particular feat of engineering has captivated onlookers since antiquity, right up to today: the majestic dome.
Employing massive hemispherical roofs first became popular with the ancient Romans—most famously the iconic Pantheon, built in the 2nd century. Since then, the feature has taken many forms across the globe, providing cover for everything from ancient tombs to futuristic houses. The circular nature of domes has special significance in religious houses such as churches and mosques, where it represents the eternal, with no beginning and no end.
Be it a simple stone edifice or a half-sphere intricately decorated with mosaics or glass, domed roofs are visual wonders that often steal the show. Here are 17 domes that take the ancient form and add a special stamp to create stunning architecture, inside and out.
1
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Tiffany Dome
A massive thing of awe, this stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence. The dome spans 10,000 square feet of colorful mosaic wonder, including 30,000 individual panes of glass.
2
VIJAYAPURA, INDIA
Gol Gumbaz
With a diameter of 144 feet, the dome of Gol Gumbaz ranks among the largest domes of the premodern world and is supported by a series of interlocking arches without any columns.
3
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Inside the Capitol Dome
By all external appearances, the walls of the dome on the U.S. Capitol comprise a solid marble edifice. But the shell is actually hollow, made out of metal (painted white), and supported like an iron-framed skyscraper.
4
KATHMANDU, NEPAL
Boudhanath Stupa
The huge meditative monument consists of a giant dome, on top of which sits a Buddhist pyramid tower, painted with a pair of all-seeing eyes. The striking architecture makes it one of the most spectacular Buddhist sites in the world.
5
ISFAHAN, IRAN
Sheikh Lotfallah Mosque
The inside of the main dome of the beautiful mosque built for Shah Abbas I and the women of his court is dominated by the image of a peacock. The bird changes color and shape as light reflects off of the mosque’s interior.
6
MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN
The Superior Dome
At 536 feet across, the Superior Dome has the largest diameter of any wooden dome in the world. The geodesic structure was made from 781 massive Douglas fir beams arrayed as a framework of triangles.
7
LANDERS, CALIFORNIA
The Integratron
The parabolic dome-shaped structure in the Mojave desert was designed by aeronautical engineer and ufologist George Van Tassel, who built it after allegedly receiving instructions from extraterrestrials from Venus.
8
MONTREAL, QUÉBEC
Biosphere of Montreal
Buckminster Fuller, who popularized the geodesic dome, created this 20-story version of his hallmark design for the Montreal 1967 World’s Fair. A full two-thirds sphere (rather than the typical half-dome), the massive, glittering structure was admired by more than 5.6 million visitors.
9
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Geodesic Dome House
A double geodesic dome house, the playful structure brings to mind a giant igloo. Together, the two domes provide about 4,000 square feet of living space. Plastic tubes pump hot water through the floor to keep the inside warm at a low cost. A house of the future, indeed!
10
BUXTON, ENGLAND
The Devonshire Dome
The majestic building was crowned in the 19th century with the largest unsupported dome in the United Kingdom. With a diameter of 145 feet, it is wider than both the Pantheon and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
11
BOMMAYAPALAYAM, INDIA
Auroville
The futuristic city of Auroville centers around a giant golden geodesic dome known as the “Matrimandir,” or Mother Temple, inside which silence is absolute.
12
AURANGABAD, INDIA
Bibi Ka Maqbara
The Taj Mahal duplicate that was erected less than 30 years after the original includes a cheaper version of the famous all-marble onion dome.
13
CLEVELAND, OHIO
Cleveland Trust Rotunda Building
Marvel at this turn-of-the-century masterpiece that features a stunning 61-foot-diameter, 85-foot-high rotunda topped with a Tiffany-style stained glass dome. The dome now covers a rather stately supermarket.
14
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
The Ether Dome
The beautifully preserved operating theater features a copper dome topped with windows that let in natural light. It is nestled within the huge, still-operating Massachusetts General Hospital.
15
CLEVELAND, OHIO
St. Theodosius Cathedral
This Czar-funded, lavishly muraled Orthodox church is crowned by blue onion domes.
16
ARGYLL AND BUTE, SCOTLAND
Ecopod
The Ecopod, tucked deep in the Scottish Highlands, is a spacious geodesic dome that offers a quirky retreat, and is built with an outer membrane that allows the dome to blend into its surroundings.
17
LONDON, ENGLAND
Whispering Gallery at St. Paul’s Cathedral
One of the most iconic structures in the world, the cathedral’s dome is made even more special by an acoustic trick: In the walkway that circles the inside of Christopher Wren’s creation, whispered words can be clearly heard directly across—137 feet away.
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