"At 536 ft. across, The Superior Dome has the largest diameter of any wooden dome in the world," the Atlas Obscura reports. The dome is an integral part of Northern Michigan University’s sports complex. The flexible space, with a retractable artificial turf, can be reconfigured for football, volleyball, hockey, tennis, track and field, or a number of other sports.

"Structurally, it is a geodesic dome – this means that it is a self-bracing framework of triangles. A main feature of a geodesic dome is that the dome is built from a minimum of structural elements (in this case, 781 massive Douglas fir beams) to achieve the great strength of a dome.

"When no events are on the schedule, dome visitors are free to go pretty much wherever they please – you can run around like a maniac on the artificial turf or climb the bleachers to get a closer look at the ceiling. Locals often use the space for walking laps (many of them use the circular exterior hallway as well). When required, the building can hold as many as 16,000 people. "

"Located about a mile north of downtown Marquette near the shores of Lake Superior, the Yooper Dome was built with 781 Douglas Fir beams and 108 1/2 miles of fir decking," the mlive.com reports.

"The dome's diameter measures 536 feet. The structure was built to withstand 60 pounds of snow per square foot and 80 mph winds. Construction of the Superior Dome came in two phases and totaled about $24 million for its current state."

"If you're comparing football for football (atmospheres), the fans are right here on the edge of the field at the Superior Dome. They're a lot closer," said Carl Bammert, NMU's associate athletic director who is in charge of facilities. "It seats 8,000 people in the bleachers and for the high school football playoff games we have in here, I mean, it is loud. It is exciting, it's just quite echoing through the facility.

"When its retractable turf is extended, the facility can host football, soccer and field hockey. It can also host lacrosse and will for the first time in February. The synthetic surface under the carpet fits three basketball or volleyball courts, a couple tennis courts and a 200-meter track.

"The Yooper Dome primarily serves as the home of NMU's football team, and it hosts a number of high school football games per year. It's also used as a United States Olympic Training site and training area for men's Greco wrestling and men's and women's weight lifting, as well as a trade-show location and place where community members may walk, exercise or use for recreational purposes."

"The Superior Dome has been home to the Wildcat football team since its construction in 1991 and is now also home to the Wildcat soccer team and the Wildcat track teams," the official website says.

"The Dome stands 14 stories high and encompasses 5.1 acres under its roof. Constructed of 781 Douglas Fir beams and 108.5 miles of fir decking, the Dome has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000, although the building can hold as many as 16,000 people.

"(The World’s Largest Wooden Dome) has a diameter of 536 feet. It has the ability to withstand 60 pounds per square foot of snow and 80 mile per hour winds.

"The Dome's features include a retractable artificial turf carpet, the largest of its kind in the world. When extended, the turf has the ability to accommodate football, soccer (120 x 72 ft. field) and field hockey. Underneath the carpet is a synthetic playing surface that features three basketball/volleyball courts and a 200-meter track. Three concession areas provide service to all events.

"Twelve computerized winches extend the carpet over a cushion of air. It takes 30 minutes to retract the artificial turf carpet and approximately two hours for full set up to be completed. The Superior Dome is also home of the NMU Olympic Training Site offices, as well as special training areas for the NMU-OTS boxing, weightlifting and wrestling teams."

For information on renting the Superior Dome, call 906-227-2850.

Photo above: World’s Largest Wooden Dome: world record in Marquette, Michigan. Pic: Bobak Ha'Eri

"The Superior Dome is a domed stadium on the campus of Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, Michigan, United States. It opened as the "world’s largest wooden dome" on September 14, 1991, and is home to the Northern Michigan Wildcats football, women's lacrosse, and women's track and field teams, the NMU Wildcat marching band, and hosts a variety of other campus and community events," the wikipedia.com reports.

"The dome is 143 feet (44 m) tall, has a diameter of 536 feet (163 m), covers an area of 5.1 acres (21,000 m2) and has a volume of 16,135,907 cubic feet. It is a geodesic dome constructed with 781 Douglas fir beams and 108.5 miles (174.6 km) of fir decking and is designed to support snow up to 60 pounds per square foot (2.9 kPa) and withstand 80-mile-per-hour (130 km/h) winds. It has a permanent seating capacity of 8,000 people, though the building can hold as many as 16,000 people."

"Free to the public to see. Students on site are helpful tour guides. It is an engineering marvel. Football. Track, and lacrosse are sports played in the dome."

"The Olympians train here. If you only see outside that is alright, but try and get inside. Very neat."

"Building doesn't look like much from the outside but shows all it's beautiful wood construction on the inside. Large and multi use building a real asset to the community."

"There are some historic displays on your way around and a wall of fame covered in plaques of former students who went on to do great things. Drinking fountains and restrooms are open if you go in for a self guided tour."