| Montreal Biodome | |
|---|---|
 View from the tower of theOlympic Stadium | |
 Interactive map of Montreal Biodome | |
| 45°33′35″N73°32′59″W / 45.55972°N 73.54972°W /45.55972; -73.54972 | |
| Date opened | April 1976 (Velodrome)[1] 19 June 1992 (Biodome)[2] |
| Location | 4777 Pierre-de Coubertin avenue Montreal,Quebec H1V 1B3 |
| No. of animals | 4802 (excluding invertebrates); 1500 plants |
| No. of species | 229 animal (excluding invertebrates), 750 plant |
| Annual visitors | 815,810 (2011)[3] |
| Memberships | AZA,[4]CAZA[5] |
| Public transit access |  Viau STM bus |
| Website | espacepourlavie |
TheMontreal Biodome (French:Biodôme de Montréal) is a museum of enclosed ecosystems located atOlympic Park in theMercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough ofMontreal,Quebec,Canada, that allows visitors to walk through replicas of five ecosystems found in theAmericas.
It is one of two large-scale enclosed ecosystem structures in theWestern Hemisphere, the other beingBiosphere 2 inOracle,Arizona,United States. However, unlike the latter, the Montreal Biodome was designed primarily as a museum, resembling but fundamentally different from aclosed ecological system such as Biosphere 2.
The building was originally constructed for the1976 Olympic Games as avelodrome (cycling stadium) with 2,600 seats. It hosted bothtrack cycling andjudo events. Renovations on the building began in 1989 and in 1992 the indoor nature exhibit was opened.
The Montreal Biodome is one of four facilities that make up the largest natural science museum complex in Canada,Space for Life, which also includes theMontreal Insectarium,Montreal Botanical Garden, andRio Tinto Alcan Planetarium.[6] It is an accredited member of both theAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) andCanada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) association.[7]
The building was designed by French architectRoger Taillibert as part of his larger plan for an Olympic park that included theMontreal Olympic Stadium and theOlympic pool.[8] The venue was a combined velodrome andjudo facility. Construction of the building began in August 1973, and the facility was officially opened in April 1976.[1]
The velodrome, along with the accompanying Olympic pool, inspired Tallibert's later designs forLuxembourg'sNational Sports and Culture Centre.
In 1988, a feasibility study was conducted for converting the velodrome into a biodome. Construction started in 1989, and the facility was opened to the public on June 18, 1992, as the Montreal Biodome.[2]
In the summer of 2003, the Biodome installed an audio guide system that lets visitors get information about what they are viewing, and also provides statistics to the facility about what the visitors find most interesting. Visitors can rent a receiver programmed to receive French, Spanish, or English for adults, or French or English for children.[7]
The facility allows visitors to walk through replicas of five ecosystems found in the Americas:
All the exhibits are housed inside the former velodrome that was used for the cycling and judo events of the1976 Summer Olympics, with each of the five environments taking up a portion of the stadium. A variety of animals live in each simulated habitat, ranging from themacaws in the Tropical Forest, to thelynx in the Laurentian Maple Forest, to thepenguins in the Sub-Antarctic Islands and the different kinds offish that inhabit the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. As well, two new species have been discovered living in the Biodome: theacarianCopidognathus biodomus in the simulated estuary in 1996,[7][9] and thebacteriumNitratireductor aquibiodomus in the water reprocessing system in 2003.[10]
In October 2015, it was announced that both the Biodome and the Insectarium would be closing for renovations from September 2016 to December 2017, as part of the city of Montreal's 375th anniversary.[11] In August 2016, however, the mayor of Montreal cancelled the contract to renovate the Biodome, because the bids received by the city were much higher than the initial estimates.[12] The project went back to a bidding process. The Biodome closed for renovations on April 2, 2018.[13] The reopening was pushed back from September 2019 to December 2019, and then to the spring of 2020 due to a shortage of supplies and specialized labourers.[14] TheCOVID-19 pandemic caused additional delays, and the Biodome finally reopened to the public on August 31, 2020.[15] Amobile app was also released, offering augmented reality features and more in-depth information about the different plants and animals.
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