Copper dome placed atop Koury Business Center

Construction workers used a crane to lift an 8,500-pound copper dome into place on the roof of the Ernest A. Koury Sr. Business Center Tuesday, Nov. 1. Details and photos...

The dome is 36 feet in diameter and is 9 feet tall at its highest point. A louvered, rectangular cupola was also placed on top of the dome to allow for ventilation.

Tom Woods, project architect with the architectural firm Spillman Farmer of Bethlehem, Pa., said the dome was assembled on the construction site. The copper was chemically treated to create a patina, a thin layer of green oxidation on the dome, giving it a distinctive look.

Koury Business Center, named by Maurice Koury in honor of his brother, Ernest, will be the new home of Elon’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business when it opens in fall 2006. The three-story, 60,000-square-foot facility will include the LaRose Digital Theater, which will be wired for video conferencing and multimedia presentations; the LabCorp Suite for Executive Education; the William Garrard Reed Finance Center with real-time data from global financial markets; the James B. and Anne Ellington Powell Lobby; and the Wallace L. Chandler Fountain and Plaza. The center will also feature computer labs, research spaces, and classrooms and breakout rooms designed to enhance group discussions and activities.