The Biosphere

The Biosphère in Montreal is an interactive water and environment museum housed in a striking geodesic dome. Richard Buckminster Fuller designed the building as the U.S. Pavilion for the 1967 World's Fair, and it is distinguished by a steel structure originally clad in acrylic. After a fire in 1976 destroyed the transparent skin, Environment Canada acquired the site and converted it into a museum, which opened in 1995. Today it stands in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène. Inside, you can explore a multimedia exhibition devoted to the ecosystems of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, which combines historic architecture with modern environmental education.