north carolina botanical garden...

location: Chapel Hill , NC
est. completion date: 2008
project team:
Frank Harmon
Erin Sterling
Matt Griffith

project statement...

The North Carolina Botanical Garden is committed to excellence in research, university instruction, conservation, plant collections and public programs. The Visitor’s Education Center will provide a gateway into the Botanical Garden, helping visitor’s focus their attention by creating a sense of place and continuity of experience. The building should exemplify a positive union between natural and built environments, becoming a model of sustainable environment for UNC and the state of North Carolina. The site is a wooded hillside.

response...

Fundamental to our design concept was the active participation of all users of the project: staff, visitors, faculty, Foundation and neighbors. We facilitated eight design workshops, drawing on the energy and knowledge of all constituents to create the building and landscape design. Our design creates a family of buildings, gently composed on the wooded hillside, drawing energy from the sun for heating, hot water and lighting. The building is a gateway to nature.  

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