GLASSHOUSE FULL

A former coal mine in northern China has been landscaped to form a park featuring hills and an artificial lake around three domed glasshouses. These huge structures form the centrepiece of Taiyuan Botanical Garden, designed by Austrian studio Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA). Consisting of curved, laminated timber beams arranged in intersecting layers, the domes provide optimal conditions for a tropical garden, desert planting and aquatic plants, and are linked by walkways that continue around the lake. The new park will also include a nature museum, research centre and restaurant. dmaa.at