Insulation I

Tropical Islands. Image by cocoate.com.

I took inspiration for a small series of posts from some of Peter Sloterdijk's concepts, namely insulation and encapsulation, included in his comprehensive theory of Spherology: in the beginning of a recent interview, Mr. Sloterdijk says:

"We have to speak of space because humans are themselves an effect of the space they create. Human evolution can only be understood if we also bear in mind the mystery of insulation/island-making [Insulierungsgeheimnis] that so defines the emergence of humans: Humans are pets that have domesticated themselves in the incubators of early cultures. All the generations before us were aware that you never camp outside in nature. The camps of man’s ancestors, dating back over a million years, already indicated that they were distancing themselves from their surroundings."

Tropical Island on the left and the closest village on the right. Image from googlemaps.

 
So, let's go with the first insulation from the surrounding: Tropical Islands is a wellness resort in Brandenburg, 60 km south from Berlin, housed in a former airship hangar. The airship that it was supposed to be host there was never built, the company went bankrupt in 2002 and the structure was bought by a Malaysian Company which turned it into an amusement park, opened in December 2004.
It can contain up to 6000 people in a day and it is the largest hall without supporting pillars in the world. Through a special plastic membrane it is possible to sunbathe inside (UV-proof), swim and spend some days in a tropical forest at 26 degrees (needless to say that the energetic balance of this building is a disaster...).

So far, so good; let's have a look inside...



And the Brandenburger area outside (from a friend of mine, the filmmaker Alessandro Cassigoli)...