Cupolas

For cupola drawings, visit our download page.

A cupola is an ornamental dome-shaped structure placed in a prominent position on the top of a larger roof or dome. In some cases, the entire main roof of a tower or spire can be a cupola. More frequently, however, the cupola is a smaller structure, which sets on top of the main roof.

Architectural Fiberglass, Inc.® manufactures custom fiberglass cupolas and finials for commercial and religious institutions. We can replicate existing cupolas or manufacture new cupola designs. A majority of our cupola projects have involved removing badly deteriorated or unattractive cupola structures and replacing them with identical custom fiberglass cupolas. The durability and longevity of fiberglass far exceeds the life expectancy of cupolas manufactured from steel, aluminum, copper, wood and other popular cupola materials. Fiberglass cupolas require no internal support structure and at only a nominal 3/16-inch thickness they are much lighter when compared to other materials. Cupolas can be manufactured with decorative moldings, cornice, columns, brackets, louvers, finials, crosses, pinnacles, urns, lanterns, and other decorative elements. Lighting protection can also be incorporated in a cross or finial on top of the cupola.

Cupolas are assembled in our facility and usually shipped as one unit. Larger cupolas are pre-assembled, numbered, and labeled in our facility, to facilitate installation at the jobsite. The sections are bolted together and joints are made watertight with a neoprene gasket and/or polyurethane or silicone sealant. After the cupola is assembled it can be lifted with a crane as one unit. All cupolas are custom adapted to pitched or flat roofs. When placed on the building structure the cupola only needs to be bolted down to the structure. General contract workers and carpenters are frequently capable of assembling and installing our fiberglass cupolas.

Fiberglass Cupolas have the advantage over other materials because they can be molded into complex shapes. These shapes can be curved, corrugated, ribbed, or contoured in a variety of ways, with varying thickness. Fiberglass cupolas can replicate any traditional building material including, gold, wood, copper, stainless steel, terra cotta, marble, granite, and stone. Our proprietary 22 Karat Gold Leaf finish is amongst the more popular finishes that we have incorporated in our fiberglass cupolas. Fiberglass is a feasible alternative to the cost prohibitive traditional materials.

Cupolas hold a long history as popular adornments to many architectural structures. From residential barns to grand cathedrals, cupolas provide aesthetic appeal and function. Cupolas can be traced to mosques of Islamic architecture where they were used for venting. Usually made circular they covered minarets. Most 1700-1800 European cupolas were turret shaped, having six, eight, ten or more sides. Square cupolas became popular in American culture to vent barns or homes and to allow airflow and light into a room. Since then, cupolas have become less functional and more decorative in nature. Cupolas have long been used on church structures, universities, banks, and historically on government building. The US Capital and many American State Capital buildings feature some sort of Cupola.