Edenya – world’s largest tropical greenhouse

Edenya is the largest tropical greenhouse in the world

Belgian wildlife park Pairi Daiza has opened its tenth themed world, called Edenya, inside the world’s largest tropical greenhouse

Landscape

Read More: Belgium Edenya greenhouse Pairi Daiza

23 February 2026

Edenya – world’s largest tropical greenhouse has recently opened at Belgium’s Pairi Daiza zoo, with a surface of no less than 40,000 m² and a height of 25 metres it became a new home for plants and a wide variety of animals.

Visitors can explore six connected tropical zones, including rainforest, rivers, beaches and cliffs. On top of that, a 17-metre waterfall runs through the centre and links the different areas.

Edenya also features rare plants, including descendants of the original Buddha tree, an ancient sequoia, and the famous coco de mer from the Seychelles.

This impressive greenhouse construction was built by Deforche Construction Group from Izegem and took 3.5 years to complete.

Edenya is not only the largest tropical greenhouse ever built: it is a jewel of sustainable engineering, designed to offer a living ecosystem with exceptional energy and environmental efficiency.

For the installation of it, techniques from both football stadium construction and greenhouse engineering were combined.

The glass used for Edenya was also specifically designed for this project. The glazed roof plays a vital role – it provides thermal insulation while precisely regulating sunlight and UV radiation. This UV regulation is essential for the wellbeing of both plants and animals.

“Our objective was to replicate natural conditions as faithfully as possible and ensure animal comfort. For that reason, the glass roof was designed for easy maintenance, allowing robotic cleaning without disturbing the animals,” Stijn Cappon, project manager, said.

Edenya in figures:

with a footprint of 40,000 m² and a height of 25 metres, Edenya is the largest tropical greenhouse in the world
the roof structure consists of 16 modules, each spanning 2,500 m²; these were first assembled at ground level and then lifted piece by piece to twenty metres, with each lift taking just ten minutes
the construction of the modules on the ground took three weeks, while cladding and finishing at 20 metres height required two and a half months per module
each façade took approximately two months to build
the total construction period for the project was three and a half years
the project uses high-quality, sustainable materials, including cradle-to-cradle certified glass. Steel can be recycled up to 90%, aluminium up to 95%
the structure is supported by “tree” columns, with spans of 48 metres and 51 metres
the frame is three-dimensional, with a gold-lacquered finish
the roof is covered with insulated, sun-shading, UV-regulating safety glass (8 mm / 15 mm / 55.2)
the walls are clad in insulated, sun-shading safety glass (8 mm / 18 mm / 5 mm)
insulated gutters, 1.2 metres wide, were installed, along with custom-built sliding smoke vents measuring seven by six metres