Northern France is not very well known as a tropical paradise because it has never been one. That is all about to change thanks to the French form Coldefy & Associates. The firm just unveiled the plans to construct the world’s largest single dome greenhouse in the Pas-de-Calais area.
The project is rightly dubbed as Tropicalia and will measure 20,000 square meters. It comprises of a huge aluminum frame and ETFE cushions. This air-filled transparent plastic building material is commonly used instead of glass in architectural projects.
Coldefy & Associates says that a natural greenhouse effect will provide a constant temperature of 28° C inside. It is assumed that some kind of ventilation will be used to maintain this temperature. ArchDaily reports that the excess heat might be stored or piped to the surrounding areas.
The interior of the dome will have lush greenery and animals that are native to tropical areas like butterflies, hummingbirds, fish, and turtles. There will be a 1 km long footpath for the visitors and it will take them through a carefully landscaped route with bridges, pools, and waterfalls. There will also be a restaurant, hotel, guesthouses, stores, and an area for scientists.
The world’s largest single dome greenhouse is set to begin construction in 2019 and the expected completion is somewhere in 2021. According to Coldefy & Associates, 500,000 visitors will visit Tropicalia annually. More details about the project are expected to come to light soon.
