Verrière / Catalogue / Matthaei Botanical Gardens Conservatory

🇺🇸United States·Open to the public

Matthaei Botanical Gardens Conservatory

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Year
1964
Architect
Alden Dow
Style
Modernist glasshouse in three distinct climate pavilions
Dimensions
Over 930 m² (10,000+ sq ft)
« Designed by architect Alden Dow, this university conservatory is said to be the largest university-run display glasshouse in the United States. »

Completed in 1964 within the University of Michigan's Matthaei Botanical Gardens, the building is divided into three houses: a tropical house (palms, cacao, orchids, bromeliads), a temperate house devoted to Mediterranean and Asian plants with a bonsai collection, and an arid house for cacti and succulents. An outdoor bonsai garden completes the collection. It remains a major campus attraction, open to the public year-round.

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42.30° N, 83.66° W

Further reading
The Glass House
John Hix
The definitive academic history of greenhouse architecture, from the Victorian era to modern structures.
 Glass Houses
May Woods & Arete Swartz Warren
A richly illustrated survey of greenhouses, orangeries and winter gardens around the world.
 The Crystal Palace
Patrick Beaver
The full story of the project that invented large-scale glass architecture.
 Greenhouse Gardener's Companion
Shane Smith
The practical guide for anyone dreaming of building their own greenhouse at home.

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