Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Locals call it the Yooper Dome. The Superior Dome on the Northern Michigan University campus opened in 1991 and is one of the largest wooden domes in the world.
The roof is made of Douglas fir beams and decking, a design chosen in part because wood performs well in heavy snow and cold. Its frame covers several acres and rises about 14 stories at the center.
How it is used
The dome is home to NMU football, and its artificial turf can be rolled up to expose other surfaces. It hosts track meets, practice for spring sports and community walking in the winter, when outdoor paths are buried.
It also hosts trade shows, home and outdoor shows, high school events and NMU commencement.
Visitors and money
Big events bring teams, families and exhibitors from across the Upper Peninsula and beyond. They fill hotels and restaurants in a city where winter can be slow for business.
The dome has been featured as a place where people come for the sheer scale of it. A tour of the space usually starts with someone looking up and asking how it stays up under all that snow.
