Australia’s Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens are to get a new “Biome” structure to showcase plants and insects from the Australasian and Indomalaya regions.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald work on the AU$20m (US$21m, 16m euro, £14m) structure, designed by architectural firm Hassell, will begin this year and will be completed in 2015.

It is expected to attract 70,000 visitors to the park annually.

New South Wales environment minister Robyn Parker said: “Inside futuristic biomes, visitors will be given a multi-sensory experience complete with plants, organic sounds, smells, insects, water and landscapes of Australia’s Top End, Malesia’s tropical lowland rainforests and New Guinea’s cloud forests.

“Biome will include billabongs complete with small birds, lizards and insects and visitors will see the rhizosophere and earth’s substratum-bedrock, subsoil, roots, topsoil, insects and humus layers in profile.”