La Géode is a mirror-finished

geodesic dome A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic polyhedron. The rigid triangular elements of the dome distribute stress throughout the structure, making geodesic domes able to withstand very heavy ...

that holds an

Omnimax IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating, with the ...

theatre in

Parc de la Villette The Parc de la Villette () is the third-largest park in Paris, in area, located at the northeastern edge of the city in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, 19th arrondissement. The park houses one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues ...

at the

Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (, "City of Science and Industry", abbreviated la CSI) or simply CSI is a large science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultural ...

(City of Science and Industry) in the

19th arrondissement of Paris The 19th arrondissement of Paris (''XIXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dix-neuvième''. The arrondissement, known as Butte-Chaumont, ...

, France. The nearest

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (, , or , ), short for Métropolitain (), is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architectur ...

stations to La Géode are Corentin Cariou on Line 7 and Porte de Pantin on Line 5. In 2017, Pathé Gaumont was chosen as the new operator of the cinema. A refurbishment was announced, and the building closed for works to modernize its concept on 1 December 2018, with plans to reopen to the public in June 2020. In late 2023, a reopening of La Géode in Spring 2024 was announced. Finally, it reopened on 18 December 2024 after 6 years of work.

Structure

La Géode was designed by architect

Adrien Fainsilber Adrien Fainsilber (15 June 1932 – 11 February 2023) was a French architect and urbanist. Biography Born in Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache on 15 June 1932, Fainsilber graduated from the Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1960 and subsequently worked for Hideo ...

, supported by engineer Gérard Chamayou. The

is in diameter, composed of 6,433 polished

stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...

triangles that form the

sphere A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

that reflects the sky. These triangles are 1.5 meters long and are fixed on a thin metal frame with the same triangular geodesic structure, consisting of 2,580 steel tube bars. The dome stands on a reinforced concrete base, which is attached to Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, the largest science museum in Europe. La Géode officially opened on 6 May 1985. After a similar venue located in

La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France's Paris metropolitan area, west of the city limits. It is located in Île-de-France region's Departments of France, department of Hauts-de-Seine in the Communes of France, communes of Courbe ...

closed in 2001, La Géode became the only spherical building in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

region of France. Before the name "Géode" was selected, other names were proposed, including humorous suggestions such as "Bouboule", "Irma", "Minouchette", "Double Zéro", and "Zézette".

Theatre

Until closing for refurbishment in 2018, movies were projected in

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...

format on a giant hemispherical screen covering . The auditorium was fitted with a 12-point sound system with four large

subwoofer A subwoofer (or sub) is a loudspeaker designed to reproduce low-pitched audio frequencies, known as bass and sub-bass, that are lower in frequency than those which can be (optimally) generated by a woofer. The typical frequency range that is ...

s that deliver 21,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s in

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to ...

high definition High definition or HD may refer to: Visual technologies *Blu-ray Disc, the universal optical High Definition disc format *HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format *HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tap ...

and Géode 3D-relief, feature science, nature, and travel documentaries, short and long feature-length films, and high definition animated subjects.Northeast Paris Tourism, ''La Géode - movie theatre''
/ref> It also presented satellite concert events, including live broadcasts of the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

References

Notes Bibliography * Gérard Chamayou, ''La Géode, sa sphère miroir'', in: Le Paris des Centraliens, pp. 98–102. * Armelle Lavalou (2000), ''La Villette'', Paris: Éditions du Patrimoine, * Jean Marie Pérouse de Montclos (1994), ''Le guide du Patrimoine: Paris'', Ministère de la Culture, Paris: Hachette,

External links

La Géode
official site

panoramic photos of La Géode {{DEFAULTSORT:Geode, La Geodesic domes Buildings and structures in the 19th arrondissement of Paris Theatres completed in 1985 1985 establishments in France

Structure

Theatre

See also

References

External links