One of the most respected and highly-decorated architects in the world has unveiled the only example of his work in the land of his fathers.
Welsh-born John Belle officially opened the stunning new Tropical House he designed at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Guest of honour at the Grand Opening, Mr Belle praised the hard work of the many people involved in bringing the project to fruition over a four-year period.
He had special praise for Professor Dianne Edwards, of Cardiff University and a special adviser and former Trustee of the Garden, whom he described as "the fairy godmother in all this".
He urged people to visit the Garden and see the Tropical House and enjoy the fabulous "vocabulary of plants". He also urged the Garden’s horticulture team "to take ownership" of the Tropical House and nurture it for future generations.
Mr Belle said he thought the opening was particularly timely because global warming has become "a real issue in all our lives".
"Part of our task in coming to terms with global warming will be the study of plants and plant material which will have a very important part to play in our understanding of the future we face," he said.
Mr Belle also spoke of his hopes for the architecture of the Tropical House.
"Architecture," he said, "is a social science as much as any other field. There are no spectators in architecture. There are protagonists and proponents. I want to minimise the protagonists and maximise the proponents."
And, he joked: "If you don’t like it, it is nobody’s fault but mine."
The New York-based master of the American architectural makeover – he has transformed many of New York’s most famous sites – described his latest work as "a wonderful way for me to reconnect with my roots".
Mr Belle’s architectural projects in New York have included the city’s own botanical garden, as well as the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Terminal, and the Rockefeller Centre.
Three of his projects have won the Presidential Design Award, the highest award for public architecture in the US and in 2003 he was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Architects in Wales.
Mr Belle, who was born in Pontcanna, Cardiff, in 1932 said the project provided him with an opportunity to contribute to his homeland and he was "extremely honoured" to be working with the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
"Designing the Tropical House – a building that is all about the connection between the world of plants and the realm of architecture – provided a wonderful opportunity for me to reconnect with my roots.
"I don’t think there could have been a more appropriate project for me at this stage in my career."
National Botanic Garden Director Kevin Lamb declared himself "extremely privileged and proud" that the Garden could boast the only example of Mr Belle’s work in his homeland.
He said: "It puts us right up there in the John Belle pantheon of world-famous projects including Grand Central Station, the Rockefeller Centre and New York Botanic Gardens."
Mr Lamb paid special thanks to the Millennium Commission, principal funders of the project, and Grantscape. He also paid tribute to the Garden’s horticulture team "under the excellent guidance of Laura Davies and Jessica Gould".
