The Superior Dome, which opened as the "world's largest wooden dome" on September 14, 1991, is a domed stadium on the campus of Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan. It is home to the Northern Michigan Wildcats football team, as well as a variety of campus and community events.
The dome is 14stories tall, has a diameter of 536 feet and covers an area of 5.1 acres. It is a geodesic dome constructed with 781Douglas Fir beams and 108.5 miles of fir decking. The dome is designed to support snow up to 60 pounds per square foot and withstand 80-mile-per-hour winds. It has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000, though the building can hold as many as 16,000 people. The 2010 edition of Guinness World Records listed it as the fifth-largest dome and the largest wooden dome in the world. |
The dome features a retractable artificial turf carpet, the largest of its kind in the world. When extended, the turf can accommodate football, soccer, and field hockey. Underneath the carpet is a synthetic playing surface that features three basketball / volleyball courts, two tennis courts and a 660 foot track. The carpet is winched in and out of place on a cushion of air. Retracting the turf carpet takes 30 minutes, with full setup taking approximately two hours. President George W. Bush held a campaign rally in the stadium during the 2004 Presidential campaign. |
