The Look Company Is Giving 131 Science World Panels a Second Life Through Goods Supporting Science Education

The panels from the 65,000-square-foot World Cup installation were recovered, donated to BC institutions or made into new products, with none going to landfill.

SEATTLE, WA, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Look Company, the large-scale visual branding company behind the 65,000-square-foot transformation of Vancouver’s Science World into the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026, is giving a second life to each of the 131 panels it installed for the event. Each panel will be cleaned, sorted and recut into everyday goods for The Beautiful Dome 2026 Collection, a limited-run collection sold through Science World, with 100% of net proceeds supporting its STEAM education programs across the province. None of the panels will end up in a landfill.

Large-format graphics are often designed and built for a single event and discarded once the event ends. The environmental conversation around the 2026 tournament has centered on travel and stadium operations, while the temporary build-out that makes a host city look like a host city has drawn far less attention. Vancouver’s dome is the most visible version of a question the sport and event industry faces after every major tournament: what happens to the material once the cameras leave.

The project, known as The Beautiful Dome, was engineered and installed by The Look Company and became one of the most photographed images of the tournament. Rather than treating the installation as temporary material destined for disposal once the tournament ended, The Look Company planned for the panels to have a second life from the outset. Removal began in September, four months after the 40-metre installation went up. Selected panels have been donated to seven institutions across British Columbia, including Science World, BC Place and the Museum of Vancouver amongst others.

“An installation this size is thousands of decisions about how something goes together, and every one of those decisions also determines whether it can come apart,” said Jacob Burke, global CEO of The Look Company. “We engineered 131 panels to fit a curved dome. The precision of that design enables us to bring them down clean, sort them and hand them to a museum or a cutting table instead of a landfill. Taking it apart required the same level of care as putting it up, just in reverse.”

The dome came down over two weeks in September, taken apart by the same five-person rope access team that originally installed it in May. The panels are now at The Look Company’s Seattle facility, where they’re being cleaned and cut against custom templates into 260 tote bags, 100 duffle bags and 25 umbrellas, each finished with added accessories and a printed label carrying its own sequence number. Additionally, another 24 panels are being packaged whole for people and organizations that requested a full-size piece of the dome. Production for these items will take approximately five weeks, after which each item will be distributed to their buyers and recipients.

“The Beautiful Dome changed the way people saw Science World this summer, not only as a landmark, but as a canvas for science, sport and imagination,” said Brian Radburn, Chief Operating Officer of Science World. “By preserving some of the panels and transforming others into useful new objects, we are extending the story of this extraordinary project.”

The Beautiful Dome was produced in collaboration with Destination Vancouver, Science World, the Province of British Columbia, the FIFA World Cup 2026 Vancouver Host Committee and the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association. You can read more about the project here.

About The Look Company

The Look Company is a large-scale visual branding firm producing award-winning printed graphics and display systems for retail, sport and event environments. With production facilities across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the company serves clients including FIFA, NHL, MLB, Walmart, Formula 1, Jaguar and Land Rover. The Look Company boasts more than 20 years of experience creating brand experiences through design, hardware manufacturing, printing, kitting, project management and installation. The firm is a G7 Colorspace Master Qualified company with multiple international awards in textile print, including Innovation Awards at FESPA Europe.

Kieran Powell
The Look Company
kieran.powell@channelvmedia.com

Media gallery

About The Author

Written By: EIN Presswire