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 triangular elements of the dome are structurally rigid and distribute the structural stress throughout the structure, making geodesic ...

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. Graeme Fe ...

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. The park houses one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues in Paris, including the Cité d ...

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 the biggest science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultur ...

(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, i ...

, France. The nearest

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

stations to La Géode are Corentin Cariou on Line 7 and Porte de Pantin on Line 5.

Structure

La Géode was designed by architect Adrien Fainsilber and engineer Gérard Chamayou. The

is in diameter, composed of 6,433 polished stainless steel triangles that form the

sphere A sphere () is a Geometry, geometrical object that is a solid geometry, three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. 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 May 6, 1985. After a similar venue located in La Défense closed in 2001, La Géode became the only spherical building in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

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

Movies are projected in

IMAX 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. Graem ...

format on a giant hemispherical screen that covers . The auditorium is 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, lower in frequency than those which can be (optimally) generated by a woofer. The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is ...

s that deliver 21,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of 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 quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

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 sur ...

high definition High definition or HD may refer to: Visual technologies *HD DVD, discontinued optical disc format *HD Photo, former name for the JPEG XR image file format *HDV, format for recording high-definition video onto magnetic tape * HiDef, 24 frames-pe ...

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 presents satellite concert events, including live broadcasts of the

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

from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

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