The city of Donetsk in the Ukraine is soon to be home to what is claimed to be the largest aluminium-domed waterpark in the world.

Scheduled to open in August 2011, the dome over the Royal Marine Aquapark - a joint venture between the city of Donetsk and a consortium of private sector investors - is being built by Oakville, Ontario, Canada-based OpenAire, a specialist in retractable roofing systems.

At 26m (86ft) high and 85m (278ft) in diameter, the dome replaces the park's designers original plan to have a steel/polycarbonate structure with a fixed dome.

OpenAire president, Mark Albertine, said: "The developers loved the idea of a retractable roof. To them, it opened the park up to a whole new world of possibility.

"People don't want to be inside on a beautiful day; opening the roof instantly transforms it into an outdoor facility, giving users the best of both worlds."

The Royal Marine is OpenAire's second Ukrainian project. The company previously built a retractable skylight for the Terminal Water Park in Kiev-area Brovary Park, the country's first major indoor water park. At the Donetsk water park, the company is providing the entire design and manufacture of the retractable structure.

OpenAire's commercial projects elsewhere include the Americana Indoor Water Park in Niagara Falls, Canada; the Tropicana Water Park in Germany; and the water park at Jay's Peak Ski Resort in Vermont, opening in 2011.