I worked on the recent HVAC upgrade that the dome received while the new copper roof was being installed. While working there I had the chance to discuss the building with the head of facilities maintenance who knew the ins and outs of the building. -As you enter the dome you passed over some unusual circular rugs which had some slight dents underneath, now these were fountains with a shallow pool, however when in use they splashed too much water about and was deemed too dangerous to use. -When it was originally built there was a sprinkler in the centre of the roof that would spray onto the roof for use as a primitive form of evaporative cooling however the valve leaked and caused issues on the internal of the ceiling so it was was isolated, not to be used again. -The new roof that has been installed to have a steeper peak than the original design, I believe to help with drainage or something along those lines. -The acoustic strings I believe have been installed in a refurb and aren't original. Working here for a couple of months was a treat, its such a nice building. But let me tell you, as a plumber who likes to run straight pipes installing them in a circular building is a nightmare haha.

Used to work at the dome a few years ago, the circles on all the tables in the theatre were actually ashtrays which were covered up at some point! Also the weird circular rugs at the two exits of the theatre are covering up a fountain that was bricked up as it was a trip hazard cause of all the water.

This is one of my favourite buildings in Canberra. With the moat there is actually a little set of stairs to help ducks get into and out of the water. In terms of the strings in the lecture theatre - the sound baffles while stunning created an optical illusion that made people nauseous. The strings were put in place to break the illusion without interfering with the accoustics.

Those stairs... so perfect 👌

IIRC the 'gavel' circles in the main room replaced microphones that used to be there for conferences.

All comments are amazing! Thanks Jeremy for suggesting me to come back and read them. And thanks heaps Archimarathon for another celebration of Architecture

Phenomenal building by a phenomenal architect! Feel privileged to have such a fantastic tour of it.

Amazing choice of music for the intro and absolutely dazzled by the amount of details and design considerations. the chairs on the theater room and how everything is positioned is so clever. everything built with purpose and is still relevant to this day with chalk holders or notepad holders now holding phones. the acoustics contributing to both design and is functional and bringing that detail to the outside of the theatre with the wood claddings. Love everything about this !

We love your work guys, you make the best Architecture review videos. Love it All!

Wow! I can´t stress enough how much I´m loving all these Canberra episodes. This building is amazing. I´m impressed with the structure and the subtle details in the interior. A celebration of the curves. Makes me think about many buildings dedicated or related to the sciences with curved shapes. The stair is awesome! And the copper roof I can imagine how it´ll look when time adds a patina on it Ps. I was expecting for some Bowie´s Life on Mars lol

Very nice! Don’t know why but I really like simple geometry in architecture. I like how there are many curved shapes that unify the place, like the curved underside of stairs and walkway, vaulted ceilings, even the dome skylights. Feels very ordered, but naive and hopeful somehow. And those chairs are just so cool, pre- Starship Enterprise. Thanks for showing us through!

One of the coolest buildings in Canberra! Lucky you have seen it freshly surfaced. I wonder if the desk disks/iPhone holders were plugs for what would have previously housed a lamp or microphone arrangement for the users!?

Another great tour. Thanks for showing one of my favourite buildings in Canberra. I’m lucky to have been inside a few times for lectures, and when I’ve been able to get a seat downstairs in the theatre, it makes me feel like I’m on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I rode to the Dome last weekend. The copper has oxidised again, but the moat is full, and a Pacific black duck sat on the moat edge.

Roy Grounds’ details never cease to amaze me!

AmaZING. I wonder if the planter circles at the entrance were originally designed as recessed up lighting?

Love that building. Used to live and work near it and even had a meeting in there.

would love to roll some things down the top of that roof haha. even internally, the recurring curve motif is so interesting !!

thank you for featuring Canberra once again =)

I need to take a moment to acknowledge how amazing that opening sequence is. I was hook straight away on all the curves. Especially the cantilevered stairs. You’ve captured it beautifully and I honestly feel like you really help me to see architecture so differently. Thank you 🙏🏻

Originally the dome had no air-conditioning. Part of the 2000 heritage project involved tunnelling under the moat to link the dome to a new AC plantroom

"what's that? A wireless phone charger?"... Um that's where the ashtray used to be. Different times

Those things are defnitely hiding ashtrays 😅 I can't even imagine getting anyone to actually agree to build something with those excellent details like the acoustic strings. Also, with the balustrade, do you think the thin ones were added later for compliance? The glass balustrade over the entry bridge is definitely an extremely recent addition - shame they couldn't have done something more sensitive to the curves and style...

Just awesome.❤🔥🙌🏽 Every element in design follows design idea. Nice

This was my dads favourite building to work on because it was going to contain phar laps heart once finished he was one of few Aboriginal men that could get work in canberra back in the day he had a good reputation and work crew he also worked on a lot of the other canberra landmark buildings including the captain Cook Fountain...

GHD architects and engineering consultants Canberra office undertook the Federal Government part funding centenary of federation heritage management and refurbishment project in 2000. professor Shine

Canberra now on my to visit list!

I think the desk circles are for inkwells . We used them up to the 60’s

I wonder if those gavel blocks may well have been ashtray holders way back during the 50's when it would have been considered quite normal to have smoked within buildings? A wonderfully inspiring building - thank you for sharing!

I’ve always wanted to see what’s inside this Dome - so many thanks for bringing that to life today. It’s a shame that in many prominent buildings, the public don’t get a chance to see the internal design of them at all- especially since 9-11 and recent terrorist threats on all sorts of businesses and institutions.

This building, particularly the theatre, was used in the 1971 movie 'Demonstrator'

Fun to see you both so excited about the building. You're always interested in the buildings you tour but not always like this, like two kids out of breath.

7:12 Ashtray? It would have been a normal accessory back then. Probably they were removed and the hole covered up. This building is an exquisite example of the best of Mid-century Modern design.

Acoustics 👽👌

well i search for image like sections or floor plan but is quite hard to find ,but when i saw this video is easy to find but why in google I can't get an HD image either -the purpose for Jurnal Literatur where i can find easily hd section plan or floor plan?

Amazing project, reminded a bit of the dome auditorium at the Communist HQ in Paris, also ramped. Rather liked that hammered copper, wish they didn't have to cover it.

anyone knows the intro music?

👽🖖🏻