Dome

architecture · building shapes · engineering

Shaped like a sphere. A dome curves smoothly like the upper half of a hollow ball, making it one of the most elegant shapes in architecture.

Super strong structure. The curved shape of a dome spreads weight evenly in all directions, allowing builders to cover huge spaces without needing support columns in the middle.

Found everywhere. You can spot domes on government buildings, churches, mosques, libraries, and even planetariums all around the world.

Related to cupolas. A cupola is a smaller dome or a little structure that sits on top of a larger dome, and the two terms sometimes overlap in how architects use them.