EPCOT Center is Disney's newest entertainment world at Walt Disney World in Florida. Developed by WED Enterprises, the design arm of the Disney organization, it has two parts: Future World, a collection of exhibits of the new ideas and technologies which are emerging from the creative centers of America; and World Showcase, a meeting place to display the cultures of many nations. The focus of the entry courtyard is a 160-ft diameter geodesic sphere, raised 14 ft above ground and covered with faceted aluminum panels. Conceived as a symbol of EPCOT Center and the global impact of the technology of the future, the sphere was appropriately named Spaceship Earth. Because EPCOT Center is an entertainment complex, the exterior design tends towards a "show" facade while simultaneously presenting Disney's vision of the technology of the future.
"We wanted to create an atmosphere for our guests that raises their spirit and kindles an excitement for the human experience in the future," stated Gordon Hoopes, WED's project designer for Spaceship Earth. "We knew that having the entire sphere raised above the ground would cause substantial engineering problems but the psychological uplift for our guests would be worth it."
Underneath the geodesic-patterned metallic skin of Spaceship Earth is a complex steel structure carefully tailored to satisfy the varied requirements of WED's show designers and engineered to transfer the various loads to the foundations with the greatest economy consistent with the other program requirements.
Early WED Concepts
In early 1979, WED Enterprises retained Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc (SGH), structural engineers, and Wallace, Floyd, Associates Inc (WFA), architects, to develop the design of the Spaceship Earth pavilion from WED's concept sketches.
Through many studies over several years, WED's concept designers had determined the size of sphere they wanted at the entry to EPCOT Center. They had also established the concept for a support system that would be aesthetically desirable and which could be integrated into the surrounding facilities. Their early sketches showed three pairs of legs rising from ground level to support a patterned sphere of approximately 160·ft diameter.
Development of Sphere Enclosure
Because Spaceship Earth was intended as the main focal point and the "logo" pavilion of EPCOT Cenler, appearance of the sphere was of extreme importance. WED's designers initially indicated a preference for a geodesic pattern similar to that used for the Expo '67 dome in Montreal. But a final pattern for the exterior could not be determined until a preliminary structural design for the sphere had been developed.
[…]
