A dome is an extremely efficient way to enclose a large amount of space,
and the form can be seen topping some of the world’s most well-known and impressive buildings.
Used since pre-history, as technology and materials have advanced, so to have the spans
that can be achieved.
Here we countdown some of the largest domes that have ever been built.
Before we start a quick definition:
A dome is a self-supporting structural element
that resembles the hollow upperhalf of a sphere.
Based on this definition we have not included dome-shaped buildings that are not self-supporting
– such as the Millennium Dome in London which is supported by masts.
Rather than looking at the top 5 domes based on size alone, we have decided to countdown
the largest domes that have ever been built out of different materials, as this makes
for a much more interesting and intriguing list.
We start with concrete. Throughout history the Roman’s built domes with gradually increasing
spans as engineering and construction principles were learnt.
This culminated in the construction of the remarkable Pantheon in Rome that has a spectacular
span of 142 feet – around 43 metres.
Commissioned as a Roman Temple during the
reign of Augustus, the building was completed by the emperor Hadrian in around 126 AD.
Not only was this the largest dome of any type in the world for the next 1,300 years,
it is still the largest unreinforced solid concrete dome to this day.
It was not until the Italian Renaissance that a dome larger that the Pantheon was built.
One of the greatest architectural and engineering achievements of the Renaissance,
the dome for Florence Cathedral was completed in 1436.
With a diameter of 148 feet (or 45 metres)
the dome is only 6 feet larger than the Pantheon in Rome.
Built from brick, the octagonal dome remained the largest in the world for the next 400
years, while it is still the largest masonry dome ever built.
Perhaps surprisingly, given how long the material has been used in construction, the world’s
largest stone dome was completed very recently.
Built in India, north-west of Mumbai, the Global Vipassana Pagoda was completed in 2006.
The dome of the meditation hall, designed to serve as a monument of peace and harmony,
has a diameter of 279 feet (or 85 metres).
This is twice the size of the previous largest stone dome in the world; the Gol Gumbaz Dome
in India, a mausoleum that was built in 1656.
Next up is the largest dome built from pre-stressed concrete.
Built in Serbia, the Belgrade Fair Hall number 1 has a span of 358 feet (or 109 metres).
Completed in 1957 this makes it another building on our list that at one time was largest dome
in world, holding the title for 8 years, until 1965.
The building is still the largest dome in Europe and remains the world’s largest pre-stressed
concrete dome.
Using reinforced concrete can create even greater spans.
The largest of these is Norfolk Scope, a 11,000-capaticy arena in Virginia in the United States.
Designed by Italian architect and engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, the 440 feet (or 134metre)
wide dome was a much larger version of his Palazzetto dello Sport built for the 1960
Summer Olympics in Rome.
Although the dome lost its title as the largest reinforced dome in the world in 1972, when
the Seattle King-dome opened,
it regained the title when that building was demolished in 2000.
Perhaps surprisingly the largest dome in the world not constructed from steel, is built from timber.
With a remarkable span of 535 feet, the appropriately named “Superior Dome” in Michigan, in
the United States, is the world’s largest timber dome.
Built in 1991 on the campus of Northern Michigan University, this geodesic dome encloses a
multi-purpose retractable pitch that can be used for American Football, soccer, and field hockey.
The huge structure was constructed from over 780 Douglas Fir beams and a staggering 108.5
miles of fir decking.
All of the world’s largest domes are stadiums constructed from steel, and the largest of
these – with an incredible span of 1,017 feet (or 310 metres) – is in Singapore.
Completed in 2013, the 55,000 capacity Singapore National Stadium took the title away from
the Cowboy stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The stadium, which is custom designed to host football, rugby, cricket and athletics events
has a retractable roof, also making it is also the world’s
largest retractable dome.
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