A geodesic dome in Vancouver, originally built for the Expo 86 World’s Fair, is currently being covered with hundreds of panels to create a giant version of the World Cup’s Trionda match ball for the upcoming competition.
Designed by architect Bruno Freschi and completed in 1985, the Buckminster Fuller–informed geodesic dome currently houses the local science centre, Science World, which commissioned the football transformation along with Destination Vancouver.
Beginning this month, the Beautiful Dome project led by sports branding company The Look Company entails covering the skeletal exterior of the building with 131 custom-made fabric panels to recreate the Trionda match ball designed by Adidas.
According to the team, the feat has never been attempted for the building, and required ground and drone mapping to create panels “precisely engineered to conform to the dome’s complex double-curved geometry”.
The Science World dome in Vancouver is being covered in hundreds of custom-made fabric panels for the World Cup
In total, it will require 65,000 square feet (603 square metres) of architectural-grade coated fabric, which will be reinforced with 12,000 linear feet of webbing and 15,000 grommets.
“It demands a rare combination of engineering depth, design precision and on-the-ground execution that very few companies can deliver end-to-end,” said Jacob Burke, global CEO of The Look Company.
“When that capability meets a moment like this, the result is The Beautiful Dome, an installation that embodies the tournament and creates a visual experience that fans and players alike will remember for years to come.”
The completed dome will look like the Trionda ball, which is the official match ball for the upcoming World Cup held in cities across Canada, the US, and Mexico.
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The ball is covered in bright, colourful motifs that represent each of the nations.
The Look Company used a proprietary mapping technology called ScanAdudit, which allowed it to create a centimetre-accurate digital model of the dome.
Using this model, the team then projected and adapted the high-resolution Adidas Trionda artwork onto the structure to account for its unique angles and curvatures.
The covering is due to be completed in June, and the dome will then serve as a broadcast and visitor centre for World Cup events in Vancouver.
“Forty years after it first welcomed the world at Expo 86, the dome that now houses Science World is proud to be part of another extraordinary moment in Vancouver’s history,” said CEO of Science World Tracy Redies.
Adidas unveiled the Trionda ball last year, and, along with Nike, designed the host nations’ football kits for the World Cup 2026.
The photography is courtesy of The Look Company