US architecture studios Olin and Overland have completed the "world's first net-positive energy" botanical garden in Florida, which is powered by a rooftop array of 2,158 solar panels.
The project is part of a three-year master plan led by Philadelphia-based landscape architecture studio Olin to expand the 15-acre Sarasota campus of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, an institution dedicated to the research and education of air plants and native plant species.
Olin and Overland have completed the first phase of an expansion to a Florida botanical garden
Completed earlier this year, Phase 1 of the master plan included the addition of three new structures to the campus as well infrastructural updates like a "major stormwater management system, recreational trail and improvements to surrounding roadways". Totalling 188,030 square feet (17,468 square metres) the new buildings, designed by Texas architecture firm Overland Partners, encompass a multi-use parking facility, a research centre, and a ticketing booth, which sit grouped together in a corner of the property.
The expansion includes the addition of three buildings
The Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF) is the largest of the three buildings and is a four-storey parking garage with a ground-level restaurant and gift shop. Its rooftop solar array will serve as the campus's main energy source.
The Steinwachs Family Plant Research Center (Research Center) and the Jean Goldstein Welcome Cent...