The New Glass Temples: Greenhouses Opened or Renovated Since 2019
Since 2019, around fifteen major greenhouses catalogued by Verrière have opened their doors or reopened after a major renovation — a sign that, after decades in which many closed for lack of upkeep, glasshouse horticulture is thriving again, driven by botanical tourism and the conservation of endangered species.
New constructions
These greenhouses didn't exist a decade ago: they reflect renewed interest in glasshouse horticulture, often driven by botanical tourism and the need to conserve endangered species.
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Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Conservatory
🇺🇸 Richmond, Virginia, United States · 2026
The historic conservatory has nearly doubled in size and now includes a permanent butterfly house, open year-round.
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Edenya
🇧🇪 Pairi Daiza, Brugelette, Belgium · 2026
Opened in 2026, the world's largest tropical greenhouse houses hippopotamuses, jaguars and manatees under glass.
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Cali Botanical Garden Orchid Pavilion
🇨🇴 Cali, Colombia · 2026
A new pavilion for orchids native to the tropical dry forest of the Cauca valley, a habitat under threat from deforestation.
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Oman Botanic Garden
🇴🇲 Al Khoud, near Muscat, Oman · 2007–2025
Two glass arches spanning 75 meters recreate Oman's mountains at full scale, in the middle of the desert.
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Tropical Display House
🇿🇦 Durban, South Africa · 2025
Opened in October 2025, this tropical house took over from the historic Ernest Thorp Orchid House, destroyed by the 2022 floods.
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Longwood Gardens West Conservatory
🇺🇸 Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States · 2024
The largest construction project in Longwood Gardens' history, with a roof and walls that open according to the weather.
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Rumah Kaca Anggrek Soedjana Kassan
🇮🇩 Bogor, Indonesia · 2023
The place where Sukarno gave Kim Il-sung the orchid that became the legendary Kimilsungia.
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The Leaf
🇨🇦 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada · 2022
An ETFE greenhouse-sculpture whose unfurled roof draws on the spiral of a nautilus shell.
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The Orchard
🇶🇦 Hamad International Airport, Doha, Qatar · 2022
At Doha's terminal, a steel grid shell suspends an entire rainforest above travelers in transit.
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Tropical Montane Orchidetum (Cool House)
🇸🇬 Singapore, Singapore · 2021
A tropical mountain microclimate maintained at 16-23°C, right in equatorial Singapore.
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Tropicario du Jardin botanique de Bogotá
🇨🇴 Bogotá, Colombia · 2020
This circuit of greenhouses was built on a platform designed as an artificial wetland, in tribute to the vanished marshes of the Bogotá savanna.
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Serre du Seoul Botanic Park
🇰🇷 Seoul (Gangseo-gu, Magok), South Korea · 2019
An inverted glass saucer 100 meters across, where Seoul recreates the tropics and the Mediterranean under one roof.
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Major renovations
Elsewhere, historic greenhouses — some closed for years — have just reopened after heavy restoration work: rebuilt glazing, reinforced structures, replanted collections.
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Palmu māja, University of Latvia Botanical Garden
🇱🇻 Riga, Latvia · 1972 · renovated 2025
A palm tree given in 1939 by national composer Jāzeps Vītols still grows beneath the renovated glasshouse of the largest tropical complex in the Baltic states.
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Invernáculo du Jardin botanique de Montevideo
🇺🇾 Montevideo, Uruguay · ≈1920 · restored 2023
A greenhouse from France crossed the Atlantic to bloom for a century on the banks of the Río de la Plata.
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Palmimaja du Jardin botanique de Tallinn
🇪🇪 Tallinn, Estonia · 1999 · renovated 2021
Designed by two figures of Estonian postmodern architecture, this glass tower was once a nominee for best concrete-and-glass building of the year.
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Tropical Conservatory, Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
🇮🇱 Givat Ram, Jerusalem, Israel · 1986 · renovated 2019
A single gardener tends the mini rainforest growing, almost secretly, at the heart of Jerusalem.
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166 botanical and historic greenhouses, across 59 countries, organized by continent in the complete catalogue.
Explore the full catalogue →