Difference the temple has made
The Lotus Temple is one of the most popular tourist attractions in India. According to the government over 100 million visitors have been to the temple by the end of 2014.
As well as serving as an important focal point for a world religion the temple has helped the local economy by bringing tourists and pilgrims to Delhi.
How the building work was done
The temple's design was inspired by the lotus flower – the national flower of India.
Engineers constructed the building out of 27 'leaves'. Each leaf is a marble-clad free-standing concrete slab.
There are 3 sorts of leaf making up the temple. The 9 entrance leaves mark the 9 sides of the complex. Outer leaves are used as the roof for the ancillary spaces. The 9 inner leaves form the worship space. These leaves approach each other, but do not meet at the top.
The worship space is capped with a glass and steel skylight. This helps to make the building sustainable as it lets in plenty of natural light.
Engineers used air circulation to help keep the building cool. Working with a model tested at Imperial College London, the project team confirmed that openings in the basement and at the top of the structure would draw air through the building.
This kind of natural ventilation is particularly valuable in Delhi which is very hot for several months of the year. Air conditioning driven by electricity could be very expensive.
The project team fitted the temple with solar panels – the first temple on Delhi to use them. The building gets around 20% of its electricity from solar energy.