A tropical forest with 3,000 animals and plants, all under a roof. Such an attraction can be visited in Dubai. This is one of the newest and most attractive facilities in the world, whose main purpose is primarily educational. The experience would not be possible if it were not for the building's carefully considered architecture and technology.
Edutainment, or the combination of "education" and "entertainment," entertainment with learning, is a fairly new trend in tourism. One facility aimed at such attractions has been built in a city that loves novelties - Dubai. Green Planet Science Center is a huge tropical forest enclosed in a building. It is often referred to as a biotube, because inside it hides more than 3,000 plants and animals, reflecting the character, climate and biodiversity of the rainforest.
Green Planet in Dubai
© Knauf Ceiling Solutions
The tropical jungle under the roof can not only be admired by walking through successive floors of the forest. The facility focuses primarily on strong sensations. So you can experience a tropical thunderstorm, and those willing can even dive with piranhas. For those who would like to see how the forest lives at night, the facility allows visitors to stay in a special mini-camp - tourists sleep in a tent, but beforehand go on a jungle tour to watch the night life of animals.
Without the architecture, it wouldn't be as exciting
The body of the building is formed by a cube with a glass tube inside. The authors of the concept are Grout McTavish Architects, and architects and engineers from U+A were responsible for the execution side of the project. The concrete cover with origami-like bent walls shields and protects the circular living core of the building - its main purpose is to keep it from overheating. Special openings distributed throughout the facade allow the sun's rays to penetrate inside providing light, but because they are small, the rays are constantly changing their position and do not overheat the center's interior.
Green Planet in Dubai
© Knauf Ceiling Solutions
Developing the edifice and its interiors was no easy task. The architects had to consider the requirements of the plants and fauna in terms of space, temperature, light or humidity. It was also necessary to ensure functionality and acoustics for the benefit of Green Planet's visitors.
Water was also a starting point, as it is the main element of equatorial forests. But at the same time it is an extremely valuable resource in desert Dubai. The building is therefore equipped with advanced life support and filtration systems, passive humidification of the biome and collection of gray water to be treated and reused in the inner rainforest.
Green Planet in Dubai
© Knauf Ceiling Solutions
Water was also a point of reference in the selection of suspended ceilings. The designers knew they needed to install them to help create user-friendly acoustics, but at the same time they were looking for solutions that would withstand the humid environment. They decided on metal Baffle panels from the Armstrong METAL line, explains architect Anna Baczkowska of Knauf Ceiling Solutions Polska.
Green, wood, nature
Visitors to the science center have as many as six floors to traverse. They begin their trek among ferns and moss, at the level of a river flowing through the tropical forest, and view an aquarium and a grotto with fish. Then by elevator they move under the glass dome and from there, amidst the greenery, they wander down spiral platforms along the circular interior of the building. They view the habitats of animals that inhabit tropical forests - birds and butterfly habitats in the treetops, and at the end of this green journey, ants and snakes inhabiting the jungle's undergrowth.
Green Planet in Dubai
© Knauf Ceiling Solutions
Thus, the interior design involved not only architects and installation engineers, but also a whole team of scientists whose role was to plan the right biological conditions for plants and animals.
With such a holistic approach to ecology, nature and the life of the building, it was also necessary to choose the right finishing materials. In the green oasis above the heads of tourists strolling along the spiral alleys, one can also spot vertical wood-colored panels integrated into the surroundings.
These are modules from the Wood Grille and Ipe Wood lines. Metal acoustic panels with a special coating with a design of natural wood colors," explains Anna Baczkowska.
The project, built by Meraas Holding, mainly aims to educate. And although it has been in operation for a short time, it is already one of Dubai's most interesting attractions. More than 750,000 tourists and locals visit it annually. Green Planet's conference rooms and laboratories host numerous classes and scientific programs so that young people and children can learn about the role of the rainforest in the global ecosystem and its role in a sustainable future.
For more information, visit the company's KNAUF CEILING SOLUTIONS Sp. z o.o. page on the A&B portal.
