The Facade Atlas
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Biodôme de Montréal

Location
Montreal,Canada
Design firm
Roger Taillibert Architecte
Typology
Museum
Years
1972–1976
Status
Complete

Facade facts

Facade summary
The Biodome's envelope is a combination of a 1976 brutalist structural concrete outer shell,featuring ribbon skylights, and an innovative 2020 interior facade made of a taut, translucent ETFE membrane that acts as an environmental and acoustic barrier between the public spaces and the indoor ecosystems.
Documented intention
Roger Taillibert designed the original building to express structural prowess and dynamic athletic movement, utilizing long-span concrete arches to create a column-free interior suitable for cycling. KANVA's renovation aimed to create a neutral, ethereal transition zone (the 'Migration') using a translucent skin that obscures the rustic concrete structure temporarily to prepare visitors' senses for the immersive ecosystems.
Street relationship
Set back within Montreal's Olympic Park, the building acts as a low-slung sculptural monument visible from the surrounding public plazas,complementing the nearby Olympic Stadium tower.
Climate relationship
The original concrete envelope presented massive thermal bridging challenges. The high humidity of the tropical forest ecosystem inside (up to 70-80% relative humidity) poses a severe condensation risk when it meets the cold exterior concrete walls in Montreal's sub-zero winter temperatures. The ETFE inner envelope helps mitigate this by creating a thermal buffer zone and containing the humid air within isolated chambers.
Window pattern
Curvilinear ribbon skylights
Glazing
Double/Triple Glazed Ribbon Skylights
Depth
Varies, characterized by deep structural concrete arches and a highly volumetric interior skin.
Rhythm
Rhythmic bay structure dictated by massive curved concrete ribs spanning the length of the building.
Precast Concrete
Precast Concrete — Exterior roof vaults,arches,and structural ribs — Fair-faced,textured precast concrete
ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene)
ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) — Interior envelope ('Migration' project) wrapping the ecosystems — Smooth,taut,matte membrane
Glass
Glass — Longitudinal roof skylight ribbons — Reflective,smooth
Precast Concrete Arch Shell
Post-tensioned, precast concrete cantilevered arches spanning up to 137 meters.
ETFE Tensioned Membrane Skin
Taut, translucent structural membrane panels stretched over custom curved steel framing profiles to form a continuous,undulating interior wall.

Tags

ETFE Membrane Wall

Description

The Biodome envelope consists of a colossal self-supporting precast concrete roof shell composed of modular ribbed arches. The structural concrete ribs are separated by wide, continuous bands of glazing (originally acrylic skylights, subsequently replaced with high-performance glass) that flood the interior with natural daylight. In the 2020 renovation, KANVA installed a monumental interior facade: a translucent ETFE membrane wall. This fabric skin spans vertically and horizontally, creating a clean, white, undulating wall that separates the core public circulation space from the delicate, highly humid ecological zones inside, managing the harsh environmental transitions between different microclimates.

Visual analysis

The building's exterior conveys power and movement through its sweeping organic concrete forms, while the interior intervention introduces a contrasting sense of lightness, weightlessness, and modern purity through its flowing fabric-like walls.

Gallery

Sources

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