France is not known for having a tropical climate, but far from that, it’s preparing itself to house one of the world’s largest tropical greenhouses and the largest under just one dome.
It will be in the north of the country, in the Pas-de-Calais area, with Coldefy & Associates as the developer of this megaproject. It is hoped to be operational by the end of 2021 and expects to receive around 500,000 yearly visitors.
“Tropicalia” will have an area of 2 hectares and will be surrounded by an enormous aluminium frame, which will support the material that will cover it. It is a transparent, thermoplastic polymer, commonly known as ETFE, which has great heat, corrosion and UV-resistant properties.
Several projects have been constructed with this system, such as the Allianz Arena in Munich or the Eden Project in the United Kingdom.
Inside, there will be numerous animal and plant species from tropical areas, which can be visited using a pathway that covers a large part of the area and where guests can walk along bridges, pools and cascades. As a complement, the space will also have room for accommodation, dining and a specific area to carry out research projects.
