Imagine stepping into a lush tropical environment, filled with fragrant flowers, cascading waterfalls and towering trees. Imagine walking through this tropical paradise as a shower of orchids tumble from tree branches. As you meander along pathways, you discover hidden grottos, a tree-top canopy walk, fascinating cultural artifacts and even the hut of an indigenous healer

In December, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens will open Tropical Forest: Thailand. This dynamic 12,000-square-foot exhibit space, soaring 60 feet into the air, opens its doors ready to immerse visitors in the topical forests of Thailand. Just a mere sampling of vegetation in this exhibit includes Thai vanda orchids, lychee trees, Thai Everbearing Mango, sugar palms, tamarind trees, nutmeg trees, and Buddha Fig Tree.

Billed as the most ambitious project at Phipps since the Conservatory opened in 1893, the new Tropical Forest contains 12,000-square-feet worth of exotic plants and the most advanced eco-technologies of any conservatory in the country.

"We are embarking on a new era of a renovated and reinvigorated Phipps," said Richard V. Piacentini, executive director of Phipps. "For months we have witnessed the construction of the Tropical Forest, the delivery of rare and exotic plant species, the installation of the eco-technologies, and now we are eager to share this whole new world with our visitors."

One of the many unique features of the Tropical Forest is the rotating exhibit display where a different tropical region will be profiled every two years. The exhibit also includes interactive educational features like the Researchers Field Station, a replica of a tropical forest research tent, the Healer's Hut including tools belonging to an herbal healer of rural Thailand, and the Palm Circle where up to 40 visitors can gather for presentations.

Piacentini said the challenge behind creating such an impressive structure like the Tropical Forest was finding rare and exotic plants, powering it with clean eco-technologies, and creating interactive and educational features. However, he said that the entire Phipps staff involved in creating Tropical Forest: Thailand knew they must adequately represent the culture of Thailand, too.

In addition to working with local Thai groups in Pittsburgh, staff members traveled to Thailand for an intensive three-week journey exploring the plants and culture of this tropical region. "The trip was necessary to create the experience of the Tropical Forest," Daubmann said. "We were able to meet with officials from the National Botanical Gardens to acquire plant lists and arrange to purchase books that aren't available to us in the United States."

Tropical Forest: Thailand will not only just transport visitors to an exotic world thriving with plant life and fascinating cultural experiences, but they will also be visiting the most environmentally-friendly conservatory in the world.

"The Tropical Forest will set the future standard of energy-efficient conservatory construction and operation," said Piacentini.

To better understand what this change in conservatory design means, it is important to understand traditional glasshouse design. In order to keep conservatories and glasshouses ventilated during the hot days of summer and heated during the frigid winter months, the traditional design requires enormous amounts of energy and money to keep them operational.

However, to better ventilate the Tropical Forest, it has a unique open roof vent system which allows hot air to naturally escape. These vents come into play when the winds move south to north from Panther Hollow and across the roof where hot air is then drawn up and out.

Other important features are the earth tubes used to naturally cool the space. The tubes are buried 15 feet below the Production Greenhouses where they maintain a consistent 55 degrees. The tubes then open up at various spots throughout the Tropical Forest and as hot air exits the roof, the natural convection process draws cooler air through the earth tubes and into the Tropical Forest.

But the final piece that truly makes the Tropical Forest stand out is the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell System that will be used to power the structure.

"The fuel cell makes the Tropical Forest the most energy efficient conservatory in the country and the Tropical Forest is the only public conservatory in the world powered by a fuel cell," Piacentini said. "Fuel cells are one of the cleanest and most efficient alternative fuel sources available today and this is the first fuel cell on public display in the state."