““The SkyDome, as it looks, as it feels is on the way to fulfilling architect Rod Robbie’s hopes of designing ‘a pleasure palace for the people.’ All round, this is a building to be lived up to. The dome isn’t sculpture. It’s a place of public assembly that, with luck, will generate new forms of social interaction and public life.” Adele Freedman, Architecture Critic The Globe and Mail, 1989 In just a matter of hours, 50,000 spectators will take their seats to watch 625 performers, 600 volunteers and more than 6000 athletes from 41 countries and territories participate in the Cirque du Soleil directed Opening Ceremony that signals the start of the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games. While the athletes and performers will be, rightfully so, the centre of attention for the evening, the hosting stadium, the Pan Am Ceremonies Venue - known to Torontonians as the Rogers Centre or SkyDome -, is in itself a spectacle worth contemplating. Located at the foot of the CN tower and the result of a competition in 1985, the multipurpose stadium was designed by Order of da Vinci laureate Rod Robbie in collaboration with structural engineer Michael Allen. Its signature feature, its dome, was the first functional, fully retractable roof in the world and became the case study for all large scale retractable roofs across the globe. Rising to a height of 86 meters, high enough for a 31 storey building at centre field, the roof opens with 20 minutes long spectacle where sections slide and rotate with the same precision as they did 26 years ago. Robbie described the project as a ‘secular cathedral’ which brought together art, architecture and engineering to provide a spiritual feeling by virtue of a structure that was both beautiful and functional. Today, this ‘secular cathedral’ has become a place of gathering for Torontonians. Its multipurpose design, another defining characteristic, allows the stadium to be reconfigured to address the requirements of a wide variety of sports competitions and events, whether it needs a concrete floor, an ice skating rink, or a grassy field. As the Opening Ceremony gets on its way, and the performers and athletes take over the field, the stadium will fade into the background – just as Rod Robbie had hoped so. “The day they close the roof and everyone is concentrating so much on the game being played [that] nobody notices the roof closing. That will be a great day”. Sources: Bentley Mays, John. “Designed SkyDome as ‘pleasure palace for the people.’” The Globe and Mail 6 Jan 2012, online Dale, Daniel. “Rod Robbie, 83: Architect who designed SkyDome, Expo ’67 pavilion.” The Toronto Star. 4 Jan 2012, online