Lotus Temple
The Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India is an iconic building with a flower-like 'lotus' structure. It was the last of seven major Bahai's temples built around the world and became the mother temple of the Indian subcontinent.
The design was drawn from the essential architectural characters of the Baha’i scripture, inspired by the lotus flower which has long been a unifying symbol in India’s religions.
Architect Fairborz Sahba’s Expressionist lotus flower design had to be converted into definable geometrical shapes such as spheres, cylinders, toroids and cones to be constructed. These shapes were then expressed as mathematical equations, which could be used as a basis for structural analysis and engineering drawings. The resulting geometry was so complex that it took the designers more than two and a half years to complete the detailed drawings.
The concrete frame and precast concrete ribbed roof incorporate 27 white, marble-clad ‘petals’ arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides, surrounded by nine pools of water. It has nine doors that open onto a central hall which can accommodate 2,500 people.
The lotus is ‘open’ at the top, where a glass and steel roof at the level of the radial beams provides protection from rain and allows natural light into the centre. The building sits within a 26 acre site.
Since opening in 1986, the temple has won a number of architectural and design awards, and has become one of the world’s most popular buildings, attracting 8,000 to 10,000 people a day.
See other unusual building designs here.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Architectural styles.
- Building of the week series.
- Calakmul Corporate Building, Mexico.
- Cathedral of Brasilia.
- Dancing House, Prague.
- Dunmore Pineapple.
- Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao.
- Habitat 67.
- Heddal stave church, Norway.
- India looks at using plastic instead of sand.
- India needs to build more infrastructure fast. Here's how.
- Indian construction industry.
- Indian infrastructure.
- Luxor Las Vegas.
- Mahabat Maqbara, India.
- Mimetic architecture.
- Robot Building, Bangkok.
- Rose Museum.
- Sagrada Familia.
- St Basil’s Cathedral.
- Tallest buildings in the world.
- The Gherkin.
- Unusual building design of the week.
- Vastu Shastra.
- Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir.
- Wedding Palace, Turkmenistan.
[edit] External references
Featured articles and news
Future Homes Standard Essentials launched
Future Homes Hub launches new campaign to help the homebuilding sector prepare for the implementation of new building standards.
Building Safety recap February, 2026
Our regular run-down of key building safety related events of the month.
Planning reform: draft NPPF and industry responses.
Last chance to comment on proposed changes to the NPPF.
A Regency palace of colour and sensation. Book review.
Delayed, derailed and devalued
How the UK’s planning crisis is undermining British manufacturing.
How much does it cost to build a house?
A brief run down of key considerations from a London based practice.
The need for a National construction careers campaign
Highlighted by CIOB to cut unemployment, reduce skills gap and deliver on housing and infrastructure ambitions.
AI-Driven automation; reducing time, enhancing compliance
Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
New CIOB Technical Information Sheet by Colin Booth, Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Turning Enquiries into Profitable Construction Projects
Founder of Develop Coaching and author of Building Your Future; Greg Wilkes shares his insights.
IHBC Signpost: Poetry from concrete
Scotland’s fascinating historic concrete and brutalist architecture with the Engine Shed.
Demonstrating that apprenticeships work for business, people and Scotland’s economy.
Scottish parents prioritise construction and apprenticeships
CIOB data released for Scottish Apprenticeship Week shows construction as top potential career path.
From a Green to a White Paper and the proposal of a General Safety Requirement for construction products.
Creativity, conservation and craft at Barley Studio. Book review.
The challenge as PFI agreements come to an end
How construction deals with inherited assets built under long-term contracts.
Skills plan for engineering and building services
Comprehensive industry report highlights persistent skills challenges across the sector.
Choosing the right design team for a D&B Contract
An architect explains the nature and needs of working within this common procurement route.
Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Advisor
Thouria Istephan; Architect and inquiry panel member outlines ongoing work, priorities and next steps.