jc raulston arboretum lath house

location: Raleigh, NC
est. completion date: October 2010
project team:
Frank Harmon
Will Lambeth
Erin Sterling

problem statement

The JC Raulston Arboretum is a nationally acclaimed garden with the most diverse collection of cold-hardy temperate zone plants in the southeastern United States. As part of NC State University’s Department of Horticultural Science, the Arboretum is primarily a working research and teaching garden that focuses on the evaluation, selection and display of plant material gathered from around the world. Plants especially adapted to conditions in the Piedmont region of North Carolina are identified in an effort to find better plants for southern landscapes. The horticultural facility is an eight-acre jewel that has been largely built and maintained by NC State University students, faculty, volunteers, and staff.

our design response

The arboretum asked us to design an open-air lath structure to replace the existing dilapidated shade house adjacent to a Japanese garden. Conceived as an open-air laboratory for experimental horticultural techniques and methods, the new structure will shelter infant plants as they transition into larger gardens within the arboretum grounds. The lath house will also provide an accessible community garden for the City of Raleigh and will be an educational asset to the State of North Carolina.