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The Climatron is a greenhouse enclosed in a geodesic dome that is part of the
The Climatron is a greenhouse enclosed in a geodesic dome that is part of the Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located at 4344 Shaw Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw. Its herbarium, with more than 6.6 million ...
in St. Louis. Initiated by then Garden director Frits W. Went, the dome is the world's first completely air-conditioned greenhouse and the first geodesic dome to be enclosed in rigid Plexiglass (Perspex) panels. Completed in 1960, it was designed by T. C. Howard, of Synergetics, Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina. The broad climatic range within the dome, which recreates a lowland rain forest, is achieved by sophisticated climate controls without using interior partitions.
The structure is an unpartitioned half-sphere dome, 42 m in diameter and 21 m high. The frame is supported by aluminum tubes under compression and aluminum rods under tension. The St. Louis architects Murphy and Mackey were the architects on record. Synergetics, Inc were the designers of the dome. The architects received the 1961 R. S. Reynolds Memorial Award of $25,000 for their architectural use of aluminum. In 1976 it was named one of the 100 most significant architectural achievements in United States history.
The dome contains a small stone pre-existing neo-classical pavilion
In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings:
* It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...
and over 400 varieties of plant life. A bank of 24 flood lights, revolving at night in five-minute cycles, simulates noon light on one side of the dome and moonlight on other side. The climate ranges from the Amazon through Hawaii and Java to India.
Over time, the building experienced deterioration of the original Plexiglas panels and the adverse effect of humidity on some metal elements. The greenhouse was closed for extensive renovations in 1988 and reopened in March 1990. The original Plexiglas glazing was replaced with 2,425 panes of heat-strengthened glass (containing a plastic interlayer called Saflex) and coated with a low-emissivity
Low emissivity (low ''e'' or low thermal emissivity) refers to a surface condition that emits low levels of radiant thermal (heat) energy. All materials absorb, reflect, and emit radiant energy according to Planck's law but here, the primary co ...
film. In 2010, the Botanical Garden celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Climatron.
See also
* Buckminster Fuller, patented the geometry for geodesic domes, lecturer, inventor, and author * Jewel Box (St. Louis, Missouri), a previous greenhouse built in St. Louis inForest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
* Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Fo ...
* Saint Louis Science Center, a museum whose original 1963 planetarium building has a unique hyperboloid structure
*Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (Mitchell Park Domes or The Domes) is a conservatory located at Mitchell Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is owned and operated by the Milwaukee County Park System, and replaced the origina ...
*List of botanical gardens in the United States
This list is intended to include all significant botanical gardens and arboretums in the United States.Phytotron
David P.D. Munns, ''Engineering the Environment: Phytotrons and the Quest to Control Climate in the Cold War'' (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2017).
The Climatron at World of Trons
{{coord, 38.6141, -90.2589, type:landmark_region:US-MO, format=dms, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1960 Geodesic domes Historic American Buildings Survey in Missouri Missouri Botanical Garden pt:Climatron
References
External links
*David P.D. Munns, ''Engineering the Environment: Phytotrons and the Quest to Control Climate in the Cold War'' (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2017).
The Climatron at World of Trons
{{coord, 38.6141, -90.2589, type:landmark_region:US-MO, format=dms, display=title Buildings and structures completed in 1960 Geodesic domes Historic American Buildings Survey in Missouri Missouri Botanical Garden pt:Climatron