Kim Bong-ryeol
The author is an architect and former president of Korea National University of Arts.
Las Vegas, long known for gambling and adult entertainment, is transforming. In the 1990s, about 80 percent of visitors came primarily to gamble. By the 2010s, that number had dropped below 50 percent. The city is now repositioning itself as a family-friendly entertainment destination.

To appeal to a broader audience, Las Vegas has hosted the NFL Super Bowl, is pursuing a Major League Baseball domed stadium, and has invested heavily in convention tourism. It is also home to the CES, one of the world's largest technology exhibitions.
At the center of this reinvention is the MSG Sphere, a new kind of entertainment venue that opened in 2023. Built by Madison Square Garden Entertainment, it cost $2.3 billion to construct and has been hailed as a landmark in immersive technology. It is the world's largest spherical structure, measuring 157 meters in diameter and 112 meters in height. The venue holds 17,600 seated spectators and up to 20,000 including standing room.
Inside, audiences sit on steeply tiered seating that rises across four levels. The dome functions as a massive screen, delivering 16K ultra-high-definition visuals across the interior. It is considered the largest and most immersive LED display ever installed. A system of 160,000 speakers provides uniform spatial sound to every seat. Seats equipped with 4D tactile effects enable performances that combine virtual and augmented reality with physical sensation.
The exterior is equally striking. Covering 54,000 square meters, its surface is fitted with approximately 1.2 million LED modules. The sphere projects ever-changing visuals day and night, becoming the newest and brightest landmark in a city already famous for light displays.
Domes and spheres have long symbolized the heavens and the universe in architectural history. In the mid-20th century, American architect and inventor Buckminster Fuller introduced the geodesic dome, a structure of interlocking triangles that he claimed could theoretically cover Manhattan. The MSG Sphere follows the same principle: a steel geodesic frame weighing around 3,000 tons.
For Las Vegas, the Sphere is more than a structure. It represents an effort to reinvent the city and move beyond its old identity. Some see it as a new celestial body that has landed in the desert with a mission - to save Las Vegas.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

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