| Summary : Situated on the Greenwich Peninsula, the Millenium Dome was the focus of British millenium celebrations and the nucleus of an ambitious regeneration project for south-east London. Designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership with Buro Happold as structural and services engineer, the Dome was the world's largest membrane structure. Twelve 100 metre high steel lattice masts painted in Rogers' signature yellow support an intricate tensioned net of steel cables. The hemispherical structure is clad in 80,000 sqm of Teflon coated glass-fibre panels. Dotted round the perimeter, pods encased in slatted cylindrical cages house assorted mechanical and service equipment. In content, fourteen corporate sponsored exhibition zones are arranged around an arena. The zones are structured around various themes, including religion, the environment, human biology and the mechanics of commerce. At the end of 2000, the Dome as a Millenium attraction closed with a number of its contents sold off. The future use for the Dome structure, which has a lifespan of 25 years, is currently under consideration. |