"The warm rays which beam down on to the 5,000sq m beach come from an artificial sun that shines 24 hours a day"

From the Express:
Welcome to the pleasure dome: China opens the world's largest building

 

The New Century Global Centre is so vast it can hold 20 Sydney Opera Houses

The New Century Global Centre in Chengdu in Sichuan Province is a building in the sense that it is a space enclosed within four walls and a roof. But inside that space are other ­full-size structures including a replica Medi­terranean village and a holiday resort complete with beach and pirate ships.

We know about Chinese mega-cities. Indeed Chengdu with its population of more than 14million is one of them. It also happens to be 620 miles from the coast.

But this is something else. This is a mega-structure into which you could fit 20 Sydney OperaHouses. The Pentagon is often described as a city within a city. The New Century Global Centre could accommodate three Pentagons.

At 1,650ft (500m) in length, 1,312ft (400m) in width and 328ft (100m) in height it is a massive 500,000sq ft (46,500sq m) larger than Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport, the previous holder of the world’s biggest building title.

The Chengdu newcomer boasts two five-star hotels with 1,000 deluxe suites, which can accommodate the population of a sizeable village. Not for nothing does the complex incorporate a 14-screen IMAX cinema and an Olympic-sized ice-skating rink. The many visitors will be watching the shows and shopping in the 400,000sqm of high-end boutiques and dining on “the rarest oceanic fish species” in the restaurants....MORE

HT: NextBigFuture