Domes - Valerie Fliss

I think domes are one of the most interesting architectural structures out there. For one thing, I can imagine that they are terribly difficult to build without the whole thing just collapsing in on itself once you are done. And for another thing, when you think about a building representing the universe, functioning as a microcosm, the dome is clearly an interpretation of the sky. It rises up into the air above the building, creating the sense of an atmosphere and grandness inside the building. It really functions as the sky of a building, because when you look at the sky outside, it appears to be rounded above you, like a shield from whatever lies beyond our world. Only the sun and the stars hint that there are things outside of the shield. The dome works in the same way - it shields from above, working to contain the universe and world within the building, completing the borders of the sacred space of a building. That is why I like domes.