By Susan Starr.
The San Diego Botanic Garden’s Dickinson Family Education Conservatory building is now being erected (by large cranes) at its new home in the Hamilton Children’s Garden. The Conservatory was created by Green House Works out of Kansas City, Missouri and has been manufactured and is in the process of being built by Deforche, a Belgian company with expertise in quality construction of botanical conservatories. The support structure is in place and the glass that will enclose this structure will be on its way soon from Belgium, where the Conservatory is being manufactured. So, early next year, be expecting this exciting next piece of the new Conservatory.
Once completed, later in 2018, the Dickinson Family Education Conservatory will be a 9,000 square foot, thirty-foot high, glass-enclosed structure featuring floating plant islands, large hanging plant chandeliers, and a fifteen-foot high living wall. The building’s tropical plant chandeliers can be raised to form a canopy or lowered for eye-level viewing, displaying exotic botanical wonders not typically found in the Garden, but which can thrive in a stunning glass conservatory environment.
The building will also house classrooms and meeting rooms, and a catering kitchen to be used for cooking and educational classes as well as special events. Many of the classes will be geared toward children to encourage healthy eating habits. An outdoor amphitheater, complete with stage and outdoor lighting, will have seating for 265 guests.
The Conservatory will be a community meeting space where people of all ages can connect with plants and nature, fulfilling the mission of the Garden.