The New Glass Temples: Greenhouses Opened or Renovated Since 2019
By the Verrière editors · Published on September 21, 2026
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 · 2003 · expanded 2026
The 2003 conservatory nearly doubled in size in 2026 and now includes a permanent butterfly house.
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Edenya (Pairi Daiza)
🇧🇪 Pairi Daiza, Brugelette (Hainaut), Belgium · 2026
Certified by Guinness World Records in 2026 as the world's largest tropical greenhouse: 40,447 m² 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, closed after 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 · 2021 · inaugurated 2023
The new orchid house of the garden where Sukarno gave Kim Il-sung the orchid that became the 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
Beneath an 85-metre grid shell, more than 300 trees grow at the heart of a desert airport's central concourse.
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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 of the Bogotá Botanical Garden
🇨🇴 Bogotá, Colombia · 2021
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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Conservatory of Seoul Botanic Park
🇰🇷 Seoul (Gangseo-gu, Magok), South Korea · 2018–2019
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 of the Montevideo Botanical Garden
🇺🇾 Montevideo, Prado district, Uruguay · 1920s · restored 2022-2023
A metal frame shipped from France, first erected in the Prado and moved to the Botanical Garden in the 1920s.
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Palm House (Palmimaja), Tallinn Botanic Garden
🇪🇪 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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1157 botanical and historic greenhouses, across 76 countries, organized by continent in the complete catalogue.
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