The dome is the world’s largest freestanding building, and it was originally owned by a company attempting to develop a transport dirigible. When that company went belly-up, a Malaysian company took the reins and created a year-round tropical paradise that maintains a lovely 79 degree Fahrenheit.
If you like big numbers, this project has some jaw droppers — the roof is 70,000 square meters, the indoor pool is the size of four Olympic sized pools, and the interior holds 5 million cubic feet of space. The building’s south side was stripped of its steel skin and replaced with a transparent film to letdaylight in. A small tropical forest of 50,00 trees makes up one side complete with a 9 story tall water slide, fake villages, and even a mock shoreline that makes Las Vegas look modest.
This is a spectacular reuse of a unique building for a novel purpose in the heart of Europe, and we love the imagination it took. However we’re critical of the impact of plopping a tropical jungle in a place that will not see above freezing temperatures for weeks — there’s enough snow right now that you could ski home after you get your beach tan.
+ Tropical Islands
