Out on Top: Vines Center’s dome is deconstructed panel by panel

Crews are in the process of removing the iconic domed roof on Liberty University’s Vines Center so that a new roof can be installed and ready when the Liberty Arena opens next door in the fall.

“The Vines Center is a geodesic dome, which means that it does not have a traditional roof,” said Dan Deter, Liberty’s vice president for major construction. “In order to place a roof on the giant structure, the construction crew is having to first remove every panel before taking apart the skeleton beneath.”

According to Deter, a geodesic dome’s top has a life expectancy of 25 years and will likely begin to leak soon afterward if not replaced, which has been the case for the Vines.

The silver dome has been a familiar icon on Liberty’s campus since 1990. Deter said the architecture is the same as the Epcot Center in Disney World (which opened in 1982).

“The crew we hired started about a week ago, and they have been making great progress,” Deter said. “They’re getting all the panels taken out, and they have another crew following behind them taking the structure down.”

He said the job requires the crew to use the same apparatus that is used for rock climbing.

“The crew is using full safety equipment and they’re treating the whole Vines roof like a repelling job,” Deter said. “They’re using rock climbing apparel and they are tied 100 percent of the time.”

The university announced the roof project in January. The old roof is being replaced by a flatter, standing seam metal roof that will fit in well with the rest of the campus’ new buildings. The overall height will be reduced by 30 feet.

“The steel for the new roof is supposed to hit the job site on June 15,” Deter said. “We are trying to get this all wrapped up before the school year starts.”

Deter said the new roof will significantly improve the Vines Center’s acoustics.

“Acoustically, this new roof is going to be so much better,” he said. “Liberty has always held large concerts inside, but now, with better sound, it could become an even larger venue for high-caliber musicians.”

With the opening of the new arena, the 10,000-seat Vines Center will continue to be used for Convocations, concerts, and other large campus and community events.

Deter said the video board that was attached at the top of the dome will be reattached to the new roof so that it can be used for larger athletics events, such as NCAA basketball tournaments, in the future.

> Follow the construction progress on a live webcam and timelapse.

Video footage provided by Corey Easley & Tyler Penrod/Liberty University Marketing