20 metre diameter geodesic dome frame
On roof of SciTech, City West shopping centre. Perth.
Crane hire: Boom Logistics
Frame: fabricated by The Dome Company
Lighting: Lighting Applications
HISTORY:
The original 20 metre diameter dome frame was rusting at its base and had become structurally unsound. For some time, the lights on its nodes had also not been working. The Dome Company was contracted to fabricate a new 20 metre galvanised steel tube frame.
“In March 2021, the iconic dome was taken down and Perth went a little mad. Media outlets were running stories as to why the dome had been removed. The reason was that after 35 years of flashing its lights at night, it became structurally unsafe.”
“Our Planetarium is definitely feeling a little bare without its ‘crown’ but with the help of City West Centre, it will soon be back and shining in all its glory! Not gonna lie, we can’t wait to see it replaced with working lights again.”
“Before we screamed ‘how dare you remove our very old dome with hardly any of the lights working!’ Scitech calmly explained what was going on. “The structure is unfortunately too delicate to be repaired, is being disassembled and recycled to make way for a new one in coming months,” they said, pointing out it was originally put up in the ’80s, so yeah, its probs due.”
Challenge
Construct a 20 metre diameter dome frame which can be lifted onto an exact circular ring beam on top of the existing Scitech building.
Solution
The galvanised steel tube frame was made in the factory of The Dome Company in northern NSW. The 38.1mmm x 1.6mm steel comes from Australia. The frame was freighted to Perth in a single cage pallet of 1.2m x 1.2m base.
The frame weighs close to 1.5 tonnes and is a geodesic dome (unlike the previous lamela geometry design)
There are 555 ‘struts’ making up the hemisphere frame, with 9 different lengths ranging from 1625mm to 2166mm. The frame is bolted together with 12mm galvanised steel set screws.
Setup and execution
The dome frame was built at ground level in the Scitech carpark. Using a crane, the frame was finished in 6 hours with a crew of 6.
Building from the top down and only needed 5 attachment points, the frame was lifted after each of the 9 ‘rings’ was assembled, and workers were able to bolt sections together at 1.8m height intervals. The luxury of a crane lift means minimal bending or stretching for workers.
Outcome and benefits
April 21, 2022
“Perth can finally rest easy again now the City West Dome is being restored. It has been an uneasy month for Perth as the City West Dome was suddenly removed one morning. Many felt like the city had been sent into a kind of cultural retrograde.
However, just as she left us on that fateful day in March she has risen from the ashes like old mate Jesus himself. Bringing a message – everything might just be alright.”
Testimonials
Justin G
It’s not just Perth that has missed the dome, her influence clearly spreading to the far corners of the globe. An Indonesian family decided to postpone their travel plans until order was restored.
We spoke to Adika who was overjoyed at the news.
“Finally, Perth is worth visiting again. We booked our tickets and then they went and removed the dome? It would be like Bali if they removed the requirement for the locals to call you boss. What’s the point?”
Any way you look at it, hope has returned to Perth.
Conclusion
19th May, 2022
“The new dome put on a SPECTACULAR show last night.
Shortly after 7pm, the new lights were officially switched on by Basil Zempilas – Lord Mayor of Perth, at City West Centre’s Celebration of Light event.
Featuring almost 2,000 energy efficient, coloured and programmable LED lights, we’re excited that the dome can now be an illuminated landmark once again as part of Perth’s City of Lights. This mesmerizing display is sure to captivate visitors and add a touch of magic to the cityscape.
