World’s largest building: Chengdu New Century Global Center houses shopping areas, hotels, a water park and a village

World’s largest building – the New Century Global Center in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China – is capable of fitting 20 Sydney Opera Houses or three Pentagons inside.

Shopping, swimming, skating, sunbathing and sleeping are all activities on offer to visitors at the New Century Global Center.

Measuring a staggering 19 million sq ft the building contains shopping centres, a Mediterranean village, a water park, an ice-skating rink, and multiple hotels.

However, visitors to the glass-panelled building need not worry about the weather as the giant complex has its own artificial sun.

The New Century Global Center is 500 metres long, 400 metres wide and 100 metres high, reports said.

According to Chinese officials, the New Century Global Center is the largest freestanding building in the world, and took three years to complete.

“This is an ocean city built by man,” Chinese guide Liu Xun told AFP.

He added that the artificial sun built inside the building will provide light and heat 24 hours a day for shoppers exploring the around 400,000 sq metres of boutiques and stores.

The building sits directly opposite the Chengdu Contemporary Arts Centre, designed by British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, at the heart of a booming area of Chengdu.