Adler Planetarium, Chicago
RETROFIT TEAM
ROOF DESIGNER: Hutchinson Design Group Ltd.
ARCHITECT: Wight & Company
SHEET-METAL CONTRACTOR: A-1 Roofing Co.
MATERIALS
After 70 years, the planetarium’s dome reached the end of its service life. Moisture intrusion was apparent near weak points in the design, such as the base of the dome, internal gutters and drains. To maintain the historical accuracy of the structure, the design team restored the dome using copper, one of the most durable, long-lasting roofing materials.
The renovated copper-clad dome is composed of an internal gutter and base copper, 18 rows
of shop-fabricated copper panels, topped by a dome cap. Each of the lower dome panel locks are covered with a decorative horizontal rib, giving the dome an aesthetic visual lightness.
“The new copper dome on Chicago’s museum campus will be an architectural landmark from land and the lake for the next century,” says Tom Hutchinson, AIA, Fellow-IIBEC, RRC, CSI, principal of Hutchinson Design Group Ltd.
COPPER: Revere Copper
THE RETROFIT
Adler Planetarium, located on Northerly Island on Lake Michigan in the Chicago Museum District, was the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere and is a national historic landmark.
The dome restoration project was awarded the 2022 North American Copper in Architecture Award from the Copper Development Association.
PHOTOS: Hutchinson Design Group Ltd.