A dome is a self-supporting structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere.
Every dome in the world which was the largest (by diameter) dome of its time is listed below.
Notes:
Below is a list of dome structures that have been the largest dome in the world.
Held record [a] | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
1250 BC – 1st century BC | 14.5 | 47.6 | Treasury of Atreus | Mycenae, Greece | City-state of Mycenae | Corbel dome | [1] |
1st century BC – 19 BC | 21.55 | 70.70 | Temple of Mercury | Baiae, Italy | Roman Empire | First monumental dome | [2] [3] |
19 BC – start of 2nd century AD* | 25 | 82 |
Baths of Agrippa Arco della Ciambella |
Rome, Italy | Roman Empire | First thermae in Rome with a domed central building [4] | [4] |
Start of 2nd century AD – 128* | 30 | 100 | Baths of Trajan | Rome, Italy | Roman Empire | Half dome | [5] |
128 – 1436 | 43.4 | 142 | Pantheon | Rome, Italy | Roman Empire | Largest unreinforced solid concrete dome in the world. Archetype of Western dome construction to this day. | [2] [6] [7] |
1436 – 1871 | 45.5 | 149 | Florence Cathedral | Florence, Italy | City-state of Florence | Largest brick and mortar dome in the world. First double-dome structure of the Renaissance. Octagonal dome. Architect Filippo Brunelleschi. | [8] |
1871 – 1873 | 56.5 × 66.9 | 185+1⁄3 × 219+1⁄3 | Royal Albert Hall | London, United Kingdom | Lucas Brothers | Wrought iron and glazed (glass) elliptical dome. Architects Captain Francis Fowke and Henry Young Darracott Scott. | [9] [10] |
1873 – 1937* | 101.7 | 333.66 | Rotunde | Vienna, Austria | Johann Caspar Harkort VI. | Destroyed by a fire in 1937. Architect Baron Karl von Hasenauer. | [11] |
1937 – 1955 | 65.8 | 216 | Wholesale Market Leipzig | Leipzig, Germany | Dyckerhoff & Widmann | Reinforced concrete dome. Architect Franz Dischinger. | [12] |
1955 – 1957 | 101 | 332+1⁄3 | Charlotte Coliseum [b] | Charlotte, United States | Thompson and Street | Structural steel dome. Architect Odell Associates. | [13] |
1957 – 1963 | 109 | 358 | Belgrade Fair – Hall 1 | Belgrade, Serbia | Belgrade Fair in Construction | World's largest prestressed concrete dome | [14] |
1963 – 1964 | 122 | 400 | Assembly Hall | Champaign, United States | Felmley-Dickerson Co. | Reinforced concrete dome. Architect Max Abramovitz. | [15] |
1964 – 1975 | 196 | 642 | Harris County Domed Stadium | Houston, United States | H.A. Lott, Inc. | First domed stadium. [16] First air-conditioned stadium. Structural steel dome (3,000 tons of structural steel). Architects Lloyd & Morgan, and Wilson, Morris, Crain and Anderson. [17] | [17] [18] |
1975 – 1984 | 207 | 680 | Louisiana Superdome | New Orleans, United States | Blount International [19] | Structural steel construction (18,000 tons of structural steel in entire structure). Architects Curtis and Davis Architects and Engineers, Edward 8. Silverstein and Associates, and Nolan, Norman and Nolan. [20] [21] | [20] |
1984 – 1985* | 236.5 | 775.9 | Istra dome | Istra, Russia | Glavspetsstroy | Steel construction (≈10,000 tons of steel and ≈363 tons of aluminum). [22] Collapsed on 25 January 1985, later demolished. [22] | [22] [23] [24] |
2001 – 2013 | 274 | 899 | Oita Stadium | Ōita, Japan | Takenaka Corporation, SATO BENEC, and Takayama Sogo Kogyo [25] | Retractable steel roof (12,500 tonnes of steel). [26] Architects Kisho Kurokawa Architect & Associates, Takenaka Corporation, Satobenec, and Takayama Sogo Kogyo. [27] | [27] [28] |
2013 – present | 312 | 1,020 | Singapore National Stadium | Singapore | Dragages | Retractable roof. Height of dome: 80 m (260 ft). [29] Architect Arup Group. | [29] |
This section's factual accuracy is
disputed. (September 2023) |
Below are lists of buildings that have held the title of the largest dome built with a given structural material.
Held record | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
Stone | |||||||
1250 BC – 150–175 AD | Treasury of Atreus (details above) | ||||||
150–175 AD – 2006 | 15.0 | 49.2 | Western Thermae | Jerash, Jordan | Roman Empire | One of the earliest voussoir domes with square ground plan | [30] |
2006 – present | 85.15 | 279.4 | Global Vipassana Pagoda | Mumbai, India | The stone dome was completed in October 2006. The monument was officially inaugurated on February 8, 2009. | [31] | |
Concrete | |||||||
1st century BC – 1st century BC | 6.52 | 21.4 | Stabiae Thermae Laconicum |
Pompeii, Italy | Roman Empire | Cone vault (early form of a dome). Oldest known dome built with Roman concrete. | [3] |
1st century BC – 19 BC | Temple of Mercury (details above) | ||||||
128 – present | Pantheon (details above) | ||||||
Masonry | |||||||
2nd century – 150 | 11.5 | 38 | Red Basilica | Pergamon, Turkey | Roman Empire | Brick | [32] |
150 – c. 306* | 23.85 | 78.2 |
Sanctuary of Asclepius Temple of Asclepius |
Pergamon, Turkey | Roman Empire | Earliest monumental brick dome [33] | [34] [35] |
c. 306 – 563 | 24.15 | 79.2 | Rotunda of Galerius | Thessaloniki, Greece | Roman Empire | Radially laid bricks | [33] |
563 – 1436 | 30.87 × 31.87 | 101.3 × 104.6 | Hagia Sophia | Istanbul, Turkey | Byzantine Empire | First pendentive dome in history. First completed in 537, rebuilt in 563 after earthquake. Architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus | [36] |
1436 – present | Florence Cathedral (details above) | ||||||
Clay hollowware | |||||||
Beginning of 3rd century – 216 | 12.0 | 39.4 | Aquae Flavianae | El Hamma District, Algeria | Roman Empire | Earthenware pipes put together | [37] |
216 – 6th-9th century* | 35.08 | 115.1 |
Baths of Caracalla Caldarium |
Rome, Italy | Roman Empire | Amphorae put together | [38] |
Wood | |||||||
691 – 1781 | 20.40 | 66.9 | Dome of the Rock | Jerusalem, Israel | Umayyad Empire | [39] | |
1781 – 1957 | 36.0 | 118.1 | Saint Blaise Abbey | Sankt Blasien, Germany | Pierre Michel d'Ixnard | Third-widest dome in Europe at the time of its construction [40] | [40] [41] |
1957 – 1977 | 91.4 | 300 | Brick Breeden Fieldhouse | Bozeman, United States | Montana State University – Bozeman | Second-largest dome in United States at the time of its construction [42] | [42] |
1977 – 1983 | 153.0 | 502.0 | Walkup Skydome | Flagstaff, Arizona, United States | Northern Arizona University | Geodesic dome | |
1983 – 1991 | 162 | 530 | Tacoma Dome | Tacoma, United States | Merit Co. | Geodesic dome | |
1991 – present | 163.4 | 536 | Superior Dome | Marquette, United States | State of Michigan/ Northern Michigan University | Geodesic dome | |
Cast iron | |||||||
1811 – 1881 | 39.0 | 128.0 |
Bourse de commerce (previously the Halle aux blés) |
Paris, France | First French Empire | Engineer François Brunet. Architect François-Joseph Bélanger. | [43] |
1881 – present | 46.9 | 154 | Devonshire Royal Hospital | Buxton, United Kingdom | Converted from a horse stables to a hospital. Slate-covered iron frame. Architects John Carr and Robert Rippon Duke. | [44] | |
Wrought iron | |||||||
1871 – 1873 | Royal Albert Hall (details above) | ||||||
1873 – 1937 | Rotunde (details above) | ||||||
Steel | |||||||
1902 – 1955 | 59.4 | 195 | West Baden Springs Hotel | West Baden, United States | Lee Wiley Sinclair | Steel and glass dome. Architect Harrison Albright. | [45] |
1955 – 1964 | Charlotte Coliseum (details above) | ||||||
1964 – 1975 | Harris County Domed Stadium (details above) | ||||||
1975 – 1984 | Louisiana Superdome (details above) | ||||||
1984 – 1985 | Istra dome (details above) | ||||||
2001 – 2013 | Oita Stadium (details above) | ||||||
2013 – present | Singapore National Stadium (details above) | ||||||
Reinforced concrete | |||||||
1913 – 1930 | 65.0 | 213.3 | Centennial Hall | Wrocław, Poland | Architect Max Berg | [46] | |
1930 – 1957 | Wholesale Market Leipzig (details above) | ||||||
1957 – 1963 | 100.6 | 330 | Palazzetto dello Sport | Rome, Italy | Built for the 1960 Summer Olympics. Consulting engineer Pier Luigi Nervi. | [15] | |
1963 – 1971 | Assembly Hall (details above) | ||||||
1971 – 1976 | 134.1 | 440 | Norfolk Scope | Norfolk, Virginia, United States | City of Norfolk | Consulting engineer Pier Luigi Nervi | [15] |
1976 – 2000* | 201 | 660 | King County Stadium | Seattle, United States | King County | Reinforced concrete dome. Demolished on 26 March 2000. Architects NBBJ, John Skilling, and Emil Praeger. | [47] |
Glazed | |||||||
2002 – present | 70.1 | 230 | Desert Dome | Omaha, United States | Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium | Glazed geodesic dome. Holds the world's largest indoor desert. | [48] [49] |
Below is a list of buildings that have held the title of the largest dome on their continent.
Held record | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
1250 BC – 1st century BC | Treasury of Atreus (details above) | ||||||
1st century BC – 19 BC | Temple of Mercury (details above) | ||||||
19 BC – 109 AD | Baths of Agrippa Arco della Ciambella (details above) | ||||||
109 – 128 | Baths of Trajan (details above) | ||||||
128 – 1436 | Pantheon (details above) | ||||||
1436 – 1871 | Florence Cathedral (details above) | ||||||
1871 – 1873 | Royal Albert Hall (details above) | ||||||
1873 – 1937 | Rotunde (details above) | ||||||
1937 – 1957 | Wholesale Market Leipzig (details above) | ||||||
1957 – 1990 | Belgrade Fair – Hall 1 (details above) | ||||||
1990 – present | 129 | 423 | Kupolen (English: Dome) | Borlänge, Sweden | Originally an exposition hall with a few stores at ground level. Now a three level mall. Architect Coordinator arkitekter . | [50] |
Held record | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
1864 – 1867 | 29 | 96 | United States Capitol | Washington, D.C., United States | Architect Thomas Ustick Walter | [51] | |
1867 – 1902 | 45.7 | 150 | Salt Lake Tabernacle | Salt Lake City, United States | Largely built without nails. Architect Henry Grow. | [52] | |
1902 – 1955 | West Baden Springs Hotel (details above) | ||||||
1955 – 1963 | Charlotte Coliseum (details above) | ||||||
1963 – 1964 | Assembly Hall (details above) | ||||||
1964 – 1975 | Harris County Domed Stadium (details above) | ||||||
1975 – 2009 | Louisiana Superdome (details above) | ||||||
2009 – present | 230 | 755 | Cowboys Stadium [a] | Arlington, United States | HKS, Inc. | Diameter is estimated. Retractable structural steel roof (14,100 tons of structural steel). [53] |
Held record | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
Palace of the Argentine National Congress | Buenos Aires, Argentina | Government of Argentina | Bronze-plated dome. Architect Vittorio Meano. | ||||
1960 | 38 | 120 | Palace of the Brazilian National Congress | Brasília, Brazil | Government of Brazil | Architect Oscar Niemeyer | [54] |
Held record | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
2nd century – 150 | Red Basilica (details above) | ||||||
150 – 1312 | Sanctuary of Asclepius Temple of Asclepius (details above) | ||||||
1312 – 1659 | 25.6 | 83.99 | Dome of Soltaniyeh | Soltaniyeh, Iran | Persian architects were building double shell domes at the start of the 5th century, but the Dome of Soltaniyeh is the earliest such architecture extant, dating to 1312, over 100 years before Brunelleschi used the same technique to build the dome of Florence Cathedral. This makes the Dome of Soltaniyeh the earliest existing double shell dome. The Florence Cathedral's dome has a design of octagonal supporting walls, like the Dome of Soltaniyeh. The Dome of Soltaniyeh is the third largest brick dome in the world (after Florence Cathedral and Hagia Sophia). Hagia Sophia is older than the Dome of Soltaniyeh, but the Hagia Sophia is a single shell brick dome. | [55] | |
1659 – 1937 | 44 | 140 | Gol Gumbaz | Bijapur, India | Sultanate of Bijapur | Mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah II (1627 – 1657) of the Sultanate of Bijapur | [56] |
1937 – 1944 | 45 | 150 | Phnom Penh Central Market | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Reinforced concrete. Engineer Wladimir Kandaouroff.[ citation needed] Architects Jean Desbois and Louis Chauchon. | [57] | |
1944 – 1960 | 60 | 200 | Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre | Novosibirsk, Russia | Reinforced concrete | [58] | |
1960 – 2001 | 108 | 354 | Araneta Coliseum | Quezon City, Philippines | J. Amado Araneta | Also known as the Big Dome. Opened as the world's biggest indoor venue in 1960. Architect Dominador Lugtu. | |
2001 – 2013 | Oita Stadium (details above) | ||||||
2013 – present | Singapore National Stadium (details above) |
Held record | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
1988 – 1997 | 90 | 295.28 | Basilica of Our Lady of Peace | Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast | Dumez | Modeled after the St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. World's tallest dome. | |
1997 – 2018 | 140.0 | 459.32 | MTN Sundome | Johannesburg, South Africa | Sports arena | [59] | |
2018 – present | 247 | 810.37 | Glory Dome | Abuja, Nigeria | Said to be the biggest church auditorium in the world. Size of three football pitches. |
Held record | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
1913 – 1959 | 34.75 | 114.01 | State Library Victoria | Melbourne, Australia | Designed by Norman G. Peebles | ||
1959 – 1988 | 47.4 | 155.51 | The Shine Dome | Canberra, Australia | Designed by Sir Roy Grounds | ||
1988 – present | 133.0 | 436.35 | Burswood Dome | Perth, Australia |
Below is a list of large domes which are famous but have never held any of the above records.
Completion date | Diameter | Name | Location | Builder | Notes | References | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
m | ft | ||||||
c. 64 | 13.48 | 44.2 | Domus Aurea | Rome, Italy | Roman Empire | First dome with a polygonal ground plan ( octagon) | [3] |
1227 | 16.9 × 21.0 | 55.4 × 68.9 | St. Gereon's Basilica | Cologne, Germany | Elliptical dome. Largest dome to be constructed in the Occident in the years between the construction of Hagia Sophia's dome in 563 and the completion of Florence Cathedral in 1436. | [60] | |
1405 | 18.2 | 60 | Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasavi | Turkistan, Kazakhstan | Timur | Double dome | |
1557 | 27.2 | 89 | Süleymaniye Mosque | Istanbul, Turkey | Ottoman Empire | Architect Mimar Sinan | |
1575 | 31.25 | 102.5 | Selimiye Mosque | Edirne, Turkey | Ottoman Empire | Architect Mimar Sinan | [61] |
1626 | 42.3 | 139 | St. Peter's Basilica | Rome, Italy | Holy See | World's tallest dome until 1990. Tallest dome interior (including lantern). Two layer dome. Architect Michelangelo. | [3] |
1641 | 18 | 58 | Taj Mahal | Agra, India | Mughal Empire | Double dome [62] | [62] [63] |
1710 | 31.1 | 102 | St Paul's Cathedral | London, United Kingdom | Christopher Wren | Double dome. The two domes are separated by a cone over the top of the inner which helps support the outer. Height of dome: 225 ft (69 m). [64] | [64] [65] |
1732 | 79.07 × 118.9 | 24.10 × 36.25 | Sanctuary of Vicoforte | Vicoforte, Italy | House of Savoy | Largest elliptical dome in the world.[ citation needed][ dubious ] Height of dome: 16 m (52 ft). Architects Ascanio Vitozzi and Francesco Gallo. [66] | [66] |
1871 | 39.6 | 130 | Mosta Dome | Mosta, Malta | Third-largest unsupported dome in the world.[ dubious ] Architect Giorgio Grognet de Vassé. | [67] [68] | |
1894 | 31 | 100 | Frederik's Church | Copenhagen, Denmark | Frederick V | Built from 1749 to 1894 by three different architects, with no construction done from 1770 to 1877 | [69] |
1904 | 15 | 50 | Rhode Island State House | Providence, United States | Third-largest unsupported marble dome in the world. | [70] [71] | |
1912 | 18 | 59 | Alexander Nevsky Cathedral | Sofia, Bulgaria | Bulgarian people | Groundbreaking: 3 March 1882. Completed: 1904 – 1912. Consecrated: 1924. Has gold-plated domes. Believed to be among the 10 largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings, and the largest completed Orthodox cathedral located in Southeast Europe. | [72] [73] [74] [75] |
1944 | 61.0 | 200.1 |
La Coupole V-2 rocket bunker |
Wizernes, France | Nazi Germany | Reinforced concrete dome. 5 metres (16 ft) thick. | [76] [77] |
1952 | 27 | 89 | Rotunda of Xewkija | Xewkija, Malta | Height: 75 m (246 ft). Weight: 45,000 t (44,000 long tons; 50,000 short tons). Circumference: 85 m (279 ft). Architect Joseph D'Amato. | ||
1988 | 51.8 | 170 | Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque | Shah Alam, Malaysia | Biggest mosque in Malaysia. Second biggest mosque in South East Asia. Also known as Blue Mosque. Can accommodate up to 16,000 worshippers. | ||
1992 | 192 × 240 | 630 × 787 | Georgia Dome | Atlanta, United States | Brasfield & Gorrie | Elliptical tensegrity structure. Demolished on 20 November 2017. | [78] [79] |
2005 | 21.3 | 70 | Long Island Green Dome | Baiting Hollow, United States | Kevin Michael Shea | Largest residential wood geodesic dome in North America. Serves as a home and as a attraction site advocating sustainable living. Picture. | |
2009 | 78 | 256 | Medgidia clinker storage facility | Medgidia, Romania | [80] | ||
2014 | 179 × 227 | 587 × 745 | Philippine Arena | Bocaue, Philippines | Iglesia ni Cristo | Elliptical dome. Dome with the largest indoor arena by capacity in the world. | [81] |
the interior circumference is 319·6 meters, and the space available for the purposes of the Exhibition and accommodation of the visitors is 8129 square meters
The first domed stadiums were hailed as architectural marvels. In 1965, the first (Houston's Astrodome) was known as the "8th Wonder of the World."