First Impressions Part 2

So I left you hanging with my last part of "First Impressions." Ok, maybe you aren't too hung up about it. After all, it was fairly short. And indeed, you are correct. For you see, not only did I ARRIVE at the biosphere, I actually walked around it and went inside of it too! Quite an astounding task, if I say so myself. But let's not get caught up in the impressiveness of this feat.

So last we left off right outside the building itself.

From Biosphere 2

It really is quite a sight once you get close to it. There are 7.2 million cubic feet of sealed glass, with 6,500 windows. At it's highest point, the biosphere measures 91 feet tall. There are 500 tons of stainless steel separating the biosphere from the earth below as well! And that doesn't even cover the student village, administrative buildings, and other buildings.

Now, let me stop here for a moment. A couple people have asked me why it's called "Biosphere 2", with emphasis on the 2 portion. The reason it's called Biosphere 2 is because 'biosphere 1' would happen to be the Earth. Biosphere 2 is completely self-sustained, except for an outside power source. However, everything else can be completely sealed off from the outside world, thus earning the name Biosphere 2. The history of biosphere 2 will be for a later post.

On our way to the Biosphere, Ashley, our senior research assistant coworker, had to stop by the power station on the south side of the biosphere in order to pick up some keys. On the way back, we were greeted by some fairly nice sights of the biosphere from a different spot.

From Biosphere 2

From Biosphere 2

Along our way into the actual building, we were greeted by some deer playing on the lawn. They ran off when they realized we were there, but it was a treat to see them.

From Biosphere 2

From Biosphere 2

(Another view of the Biosphere near the lawn)

We soon entered the building from the tour entry way. We were now inside the Biosphere. Amazing. And I wasn't even describing what the place looks like. I was just calling the act of entering the place amazing.

So when you enter the Biosphere from the tour entry way, you are greeted by a hall with a kitchen in a classic 70s new-age style and massive stone table (quite an impressive table, I might add). However, there's also a hall that looks somewhat uninviting, but that was where I was to head.

From Biosphere 2

And thus ends part 2 of First Impressions. Now we're actually in the building! The next posting will go through some of the different areas contained within the actual biosphere, and possibly some architectural elements.

To view a slideshow of the First Impressions photos, please click here.