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Iris Dome at MoMA

LOCATION: The Museum of Modern Art, NYC (1994)
CLIENT: The Museum of Modern Art

This exhibit at MoMA signaled the introduction of a new type of retractable roof that opens and closes like the iris of an eye, transforming the space inside to change to outdoors. The Dome has rigid covering panels attached to its structure; they glide smoothly over one another to form a continuous skin covering the dome when fully extended. Two pieces were installed – a 1:100 working scale model of a 100-meter dome, and a 1/8th operable section of the same dome at 1:5 scale. This larger piece spanned 30-feet extending over the visitors to the museum.