Taiyuan Botanical Garden: From Coal Mine to Green Oasis

The Taiyuan Botanical Garden, a former coal mine in one of China's most polluted cities, opened in summer 2022. Commissioned by the Taiyuan municipal administration and designed by Austrian firm Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA), the project began in late 2021. The complex features three semi-spherical greenhouses made of wood and glass, housing tropical, desert, and aquatic plants. The largest dome has a free span of over 90 meters, making it one of the world's largest wooden lattice structures. The design uses closer-spaced wooden beams on the north side to optimize sunlight absorption for different plant types. The site also includes a natural history museum, a bonsai museum, a research center, a reception area, and a restaurant. DMAA designed the surrounding landscape with hills, lakes, waterfalls, and paths. The project is part of a broader environmental redevelopment effort in Taiyuan, including a carbon-free zone established in 2017, aimed at rehabilitating disused industrial areas and reintroducing natural ecosystems as air purification filters.