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Memphis Botanic Garden Tropical Glasshouse & Youth Education
Memphis, TN

A new “jewel box” on Cherry Road is more than a vibrant beauty for passersby to enjoy. The Memphis Botanic Garden’s (MBG) new Youth Education and Tropical Plant House helps the Garden further its mission to grow its visitors and expand tourism beyond the Memphis/Mid-South area.

It also reinforces the critical importance of youth education as an important component of the future of MBG by helping increase its educational outreach to students by 30% from 40,000 school children per year to 52,000 by 2026—and make the Garden more accessible 12 months of the year.

The glasshouse, as it’s fondly known, is unique in Tennessee, in that it houses tropical plants from almost every continent of the world under one (glass) roof. The project is the capstone in the MBG’s five-year strategic plan and its “Rooted at Park and Cherry” capital campaign and answered the one missing piece to the 96-acre oasis in the city—a conservatory. Stepping inside the glasshouse feels like entering a tropical rainforest brought indoors, complete with a soothing waterfall and winding flagstone paths. Visitors can explore more than 200 different species or varieties of tropical plants from around the world. This sampling includes around 17 species of tropical palm trees and around 22 unique species or varieties of edible fruiting plants. 4F Design designed the project, working with the fabricator Prospiant, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Grinder Taber Grinder—Memphis as contractor.

The new plant-house structure replaced an older, overgrown one that was hard to get to on the property and looked like it was part of the maintenance department’s building complex, not a user-friendly experience. 4F Design got to work clearing the way for this new structure. They assisted with the critical site location and designed the intricately customized project, including the ground structure, size, slope, shape and interior spaces. The new spaces were clad in similar outdoor materials as existing buildings, like the amphitheater, for a cohesive, connected look and feel.

Every part of this project was highly specialized and customized, including the internal temperature controls and lighting, irrigation and shade systems within the plant house. Ensuring they could flourish in this controlled space was priority No. 1, while still making visitors feel like they are the top priority.

The 4F Design team also had to design the interior spaces so they adequately separated plants from lively school-age children and public walk-throughs. The resulting walking path is an attractive feature that pulls guests and groups through the space while also allowing maintenance machinery to move about and access vital plant-care systems, like the irrigation hoses and temperature controls. 12-foot Dutch-style double doors ensures it is easy to move plants and equipment in and out. Cooling was key to making this glasshouse work in Memphis’ hot, humid summers. The roof is made from 1/4-inch laminated glass for safety, and the sidewalls are 1/8-inch-thick tempered glass for extra strength.

Particularly challenging (but exciting!) for the 4F Design team was working with lighting specialists to develop the structure’s exceptional nighttime illumination system. Lighting a glass box is difficult because you need a reflective surface to bounce light, but the collaborative team came up with a solution that ensures the light doesn’t pass through the glass but rather “dances” on it from the inside for a more vivid effect. This was achieved through illuminating the perimeter structure by grazing the internal supports, allowing one to participate in an elevated experience with a colored surround and visual comfort within. The lighting also can be themed for the season and special events.

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5101 Wheelis Drive, Suite 215
Memphis, Tennessee 38117
Phone: 901-767-3924

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