Designed by the adept Iranian architect, Fariborz Sahba, the Lotus Temple is a perfect example of biomimicry in contemporary architecture. The structure looks like a lotus flower which is yet to bloom fully. This flower-like structure has fetched many architectural awards to the temple. Rising to a height of 34.27 meters, this temple occupies an area of 26 acres and can accommodate 2500 people at a single time in its central hall.

Conceived as a nine-sided circular structure made of twenty-seven leaves or petals, in which a group of three are meticulously arranged on nine sides. The leaves are made of marble-clad concrete slabs. They are further classified into three groups. The nine outermost petals serve as a canopy over the nine entrance points around the annular hall which open outwards. The next set of nine are called ‘outer leaves’ which point inwards. These two sets of petals together cover the outer hall. The last set of nine, which are called inner leaves appears to be drooping inwards and look like ... More

Designed by the adept Iranian architect, Fariborz Sahba, the Lotus Temple is a perfect example of biomimicry in contemporary architecture. The structure looks like a lotus flower which is yet to bloom fully. This flower-like structure has fetched many architectural awards to the temple. Rising to a height of 34.27 meters, this temple occupies an area of 26 acres and can accommodate 2500 people at a single time in its central hall.

Conceived as a nine-sided circular structure made of twenty-seven leaves or petals, in which a group of three are meticulously arranged on nine sides. The leaves are made of marble-clad concrete slabs. They are further classified into three groups. The nine outermost petals serve as a canopy over the nine entrance points around the annular hall which open outwards. The next set of nine are called ‘outer leaves’ which point inwards. These two sets of petals together cover the outer hall. The last set of nine, which are called inner leaves appears to be drooping inwards and look like a partly opened bud. It outweighs the other two sets, rises above all and forms the main structure. Nine radial beams are erected to give lateral support to the top part where the leaves spread out. The topmost open part is protected with glass and steel roofing. It stops rainwater from entering inside but at the same time facilitates the entry of natural night into the auditorium. Nine massive arches that rise to a ring shape lie just below the entrance leaves and outer leaves. A row of steps attached to each ring takes the visitors to the main hall

The first mammoth task for the architect was converting this floral shape to its corresponding geometrical shapes like spheres, cylinders, toroids, and cones. These shapes were first translated into equations, which served as a basis for the structural analysis and engineering drawings. The complex geometry had forced the designers to spend more than two and a half years to complete the detailed drawings of the temple. 

Entrance leaves and Outer leaves: The surface of both entrance and outer leaves are made of spheres of varying radii with their centres placed inside the building. Among these, one set of spheres define the inner surface and the other one, the outer surface. In the same way, another set of spheres form the outer and inner surface of the outer leaves. Unlike the entrance leaves, the shells of the outer leaves have a uniform thickness of 133mm towards the bottom and 255mm towards the tip.

The inner leaves: The inner leaves consist of a cusp (ridge) and a re-entrant (valley) and has two toroidal surfaces. It rise above the inner podium to an elevation of 34.3m. All these leaves have a uniform thickness and a width of 14m at the lower level.

The arch: Nine arches are placed around the central hall at an angular interval of 40 degree. This splendid structure is formed by a number of plane, conical and cylindrical shapes. The beauty of these arches is further enhanced by the contours created by the intersecting surfaces. The entire load of this mega structure sit on these wonderfully designed arches.

The interior dome: This intricate structure is formed by the ribs coming from each of the nine arches and is protected under the canopy made by the inner leaves.