Montreal Biodome
Encyclopedia
The Montreal Biodome is a facility located in Montreal
that allows visitors to walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas. The building was originally constructed for the 1976 Olympic Games
as a velodrome
. It hosted both track cycling
and judo
events. Renovations on the building began in 1989 and in 1992 the indoor nature exhibit was opened.
The Montreal Biodome is one of four facilities operated by the Montreal Nature Museum, which include the Montreal Insectarium
, Montreal Botanical Garden, and Montreal Planetarium
. It is an accredited member of both the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA) and the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(CAZA).
The building was designed by French architect Roger Taillibert
as part of his larger plan for an Olympic park that included the Montreal Olympic Stadium
and the Olympic pool. The venue was a combined velodrome and Judo facility. Construction of the building began in August 1973, and the facility was officially opened in April 1976.
In 1988, a feasibility study was conducted for converting the velodrome into a biodome. Construction started in 1989, and the facility was opened to the public on 18 June 1992 as the Montreal Biodome.
In the summer of 2003, the Biodome installed an audio guide system that lets visitors get information about what they are viewing, and also provides statistics to the facility about what the visitors find most interesting. Visitors can rent a receiver programmed to receive French, Spanish, or English for adults, or French or English for children.
All the exhibits are housed inside the former velodrome
(cycling stadium) that was used for the cycling and judo events of the 1976 Summer Olympics
, with each of the four environments taking up a portion of the stadium. A variety of animals live in each simulated habitat, ranging from the macaw
s in the Tropical Forest, to the lynx
in the Laurentian Forest, to the penguin
s in the Antarctic and the different kinds of fish
that inhabit the waters of the Saint Lawrence River. As well, two new species have been discovered living in the Biodome: the acarian Copidognathus biodomus in the simulated estuary (1996), and the bacterium Nitratireductor aquibiodomus in the water reprocessing system (2003).
, a Montreal museum about the St. Lawrence river located inside the geodesic dome
that once housed the American pavilion for Expo 67
. The Biodome, in contrast, is neither spherical nor a geodesic dome, and was once called the Velodrome, as it housed the 1976 olympic cycling events. The Biosphere was not an animal and plant conservation/research centre until 1992.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
that allows visitors to walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas. The building was originally constructed for the 1976 Olympic Games
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
as a velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
. It hosted both track cycling
Cycling at the 1976 Summer Olympics
The cycling competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal consisted of two road cycling events and four track cycling events, all for men only. The 2000m tandem event, contested at the previous 13 Games since 1908, was dropped from the Olympic cycling program.-Medal summary:-Medal...
and judo
Judo at the 1976 Summer Olympics
At the Judo competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics medals were awarded in 5 weight classes and in the open competition, and was restricted to male judoka only.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:*...
events. Renovations on the building began in 1989 and in 1992 the indoor nature exhibit was opened.
The Montreal Biodome is one of four facilities operated by the Montreal Nature Museum, which include the Montreal Insectarium
Montreal Insectarium
The Montreal Insectarium is a museum located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring a large quantity of insects from all around the world. It is the largest Canadian insectarium and among the largest insectariums worldwide. It was founded by Georges Brossard and opened on February 7, 1990. Its...
, Montreal Botanical Garden, and Montreal Planetarium
Montreal Planetarium
The Montreal Planetarium is a public planetarium located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the oldest surviving public planetarium in Canada. It is also Canada's largest, with a seating capacity of approximately 375.-History:The planetarium was opened in advance of Expo 67, located at 1000 Saint...
. It is an accredited member of both the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums was founded in 1924 and is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.The AZA headquarters is located in Silver...
(AZA) and the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums
-External links:*...
(CAZA).
History
Roger Taillibert
Roger Taillibert is a French architect, notable for designing the Parc des Princes in Paris and the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada....
as part of his larger plan for an Olympic park that included the Montreal Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
and the Olympic pool. The venue was a combined velodrome and Judo facility. Construction of the building began in August 1973, and the facility was officially opened in April 1976.
In 1988, a feasibility study was conducted for converting the velodrome into a biodome. Construction started in 1989, and the facility was opened to the public on 18 June 1992 as the Montreal Biodome.
In the summer of 2003, the Biodome installed an audio guide system that lets visitors get information about what they are viewing, and also provides statistics to the facility about what the visitors find most interesting. Visitors can rent a receiver programmed to receive French, Spanish, or English for adults, or French or English for children.
Exhibits
The facility allows visitors to walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the Americas:- The Tropical Forest is a replica of the South American rainforest.
- The Laurentian Forest is a replica of the North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n wilderness. - The Saint Lawrence Marine Eco-system is an estuaryEstuaryAn estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
habitat modelled on the Gulf of Saint LawrenceGulf of Saint LawrenceThe Gulf of Saint Lawrence , the world's largest estuary, is the outlet of North America's Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean...
. - A polar area that is divided into ArcticArcticThe Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
and AntarcticAntarcticThe Antarctic is the region around the Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica and the ice shelves, waters and island territories in the Southern Ocean situated south of the Antarctic Convergence...
.
All the exhibits are housed inside the former velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
(cycling stadium) that was used for the cycling and judo events of the 1976 Summer Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
, with each of the four environments taking up a portion of the stadium. A variety of animals live in each simulated habitat, ranging from the macaw
Macaw
Macaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots. Of the many different Psittacidae genera, six are classified as macaws: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, and Diopsittaca...
s in the Tropical Forest, to the lynx
Lynx
A lynx is any of the four Lynx genus species of medium-sized wildcats. The name "lynx" originated in Middle English via Latin from Greek word "λύγξ", derived from the Indo-European root "*leuk-", meaning "light, brightness", in reference to the luminescence of its reflective eyes...
in the Laurentian Forest, to the penguin
Penguin
Penguins are a group of aquatic, flightless birds living almost exclusively in the southern hemisphere, especially in Antarctica. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage, and their wings have become flippers...
s in the Antarctic and the different kinds of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
that inhabit the waters of the Saint Lawrence River. As well, two new species have been discovered living in the Biodome: the acarian Copidognathus biodomus in the simulated estuary (1996), and the bacterium Nitratireductor aquibiodomus in the water reprocessing system (2003).
Biosphère
The Biodome should not be confused with the BiosphèreBiosphere
The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
, a Montreal museum about the St. Lawrence river located inside the geodesic dome
Geodesic dome
A geodesic dome is a spherical or partial-spherical shell structure or lattice shell based on a network of great circles on the surface of a sphere. The geodesics intersect to form triangular elements that have local triangular rigidity and also distribute the stress across the structure. When...
that once housed the American pavilion for Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
. The Biodome, in contrast, is neither spherical nor a geodesic dome, and was once called the Velodrome, as it housed the 1976 olympic cycling events. The Biosphere was not an animal and plant conservation/research centre until 1992.
See also
- Bio-DomeBio-DomeBio-Dome is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. Bio-Dome was produced by Motion Picture Corporation of America on a budget of $15 million and was distributed theatrically by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer....
, the film - Biosphere 2Biosphere 2Biosphere 2 is a structure originally built to be an artificial, materially-closed ecological system in Oracle, Arizona by Space Biosphere Ventures, a joint venture whose principal officers were John P. Allen, inventor and Executive Director, and Margret Augustine, CEO...
, the attempt to create a self-contained ecological systemClosed ecological systemClosed ecological systems are ecosystems that do not rely on matter exchange with any part outside the system.The term is most often used to describe small manmade ecosystems... - Olympic Stadium (Montreal)Olympic Stadium (Montreal)The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...