Wellesley College Global Flora

Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA

Wellesley College Global Flora 

Kennedy & Violich

CLIENT
Wellesley College

YEAR
2019

LOCATION
Wellesley, United States

CATEGORY
Greenhouse

Text description provided by architect.

GLOBAL FLORA reimagines how the design of a sustainable greenhouse can enhance global interdisciplinary science education and deepen a public understanding of nature.

Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA

The Global Flora botanical facility expands the 1920 vision of Dr. Margaret Ferguson who argued for plant biology as a central part of science education and encouraged students to “listen to” plants and learn through hands-on interdisciplinary experiences.

Global Flora houses a pre-eminent global plant collection in Dry and Tropical biomes. The iconic Durant Camellia tree, over 140 years old, is housed in a seasonal pavilion that connects with the new facility.

Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA

Global Flora exceeds the Net Zero Water & Energy requirements of the Living Building Challenge, the world’s most rigorous certification of sustainable construction.

An open-source Interactive Sensor Platform allows people to gather and share real-time data from plants, soil, air, and water over multiple public digital media platforms.

Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA

Global Flora is a free and public botany lab and ‘museum’ that emphasizes the importance of environmental stewardship to current and future generations on-site and online.

Gathered data is accessible to public schools and international research universities, thereby strengthening the global knowledge-sharing platform.

Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA


Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA
Wellesley College Global Flora
Courtesy of KVA


Wellesley College Global Flora
Site plan
Wellesley College Global Flora
Floor plan


Wellesley College Global Flora
Diagram
Wellesley College Global Flora
Diagram


Wellesley College Global Flora
Detail section diagram
Wellesley College Global Flora
Pavilion sections