Big, Bigger, Biggest

Dome (2x9)

: 22, 2009

Continuing this week is the factual series that examines the evolution of modern engineering. This edition studies the leaps in structural technology that led to the development of the world’s largest free-standing dome – the Kyushu Oil Dome in Oita, Japan. Home to the J League football club Oita Trinita, the Kyushu Oil Dome measures over 270 metres across and stands at 20 storeys high. Made of steel, Teflon and titanium, the roof can open at the flick of a switch, and allows sunlight into the stadium below even when closed. The pinnacle of modern structural engineering, this gargantuan dome owes its existence to nearly 2,000 years of innovation.