EASTERN design office to build the world's biggest greenhouse

EASTERN design office aims to build ‘the biggest greenhouse in human history’,  expanding over 150,000 m2 on a valley of the hebei province, northern china. the large-scale proposal imagines a botanical garden as part of a masterplan that will transform the entire area into a touristic destination, and aims to cover the entire valley with glass roofs, planting inside trees and other species of flora from the hainan island. 

all images courtesy of EASTERN design office

the 15-hectare valley is surrounded by 286 m to 310 m high mountains for which there is a plan to transform them into a touristic area with exhibition centers, conference halls, hotels, sports facilities, shops and residential developments. the kyoto-based studio has traced the topography of the valley and used it to guide the shape of the all-glass, flat greenhouse roof, which is then divided into eight areas similar to rice fields. the interior structure is organized like a forest, with a collection of columns not higher than 40 m, and a one-directional beam string system to support the roof. ‘it is very costly to use scaffolds to build large roofs at this vast site,’ note the architects, ‘therefore, they are built on the ground and lifted up. this construction method is called the “the pantadome system” – we are the only ones in the world to utilize this structural method.’

project info:

location: hebei province ,china

building area: 150,000 m2

program: green house

architecture office: eastern design office, kawaguchi & engineers, chen zhihua, xia dun wang