Climatron

The Climatron is a greenhouse enclosed in a geodesic dome that is part of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

The architects received the 1961 R. S. Reynolds Memorial Award of $25,000 for their architectural use of aluminum.

[3] The dome contains a small stone pre-existing neo-classical pavilion and over 400 varieties of plant life.

Over time, the building experienced deterioration of the original Plexiglas panels and the adverse effect of humidity on some metal elements.

[3] The original Plexiglas glazing was replaced with 2,425 panes of heat-strengthened glass (containing a plastic interlayer called Saflex) and coated with a low-emissivity film.

The Climatron greenhouse at the Missouri Botanical Garden, side entrance, 2004
Interior of the Climatron as it was in the early 1980s ( HABS photo – August 1983)