Dunedin Botanic Gardens

The propagation and nursery facilities on Lovelock Avenue are the biggest investment in the Dunedin Botanic Garden’s history. Soon after the turnoff of the century, the Dunedin City Council identified the old plant nursery facility was aged beyond repair and inefficient. The environmental management systems became less energy efficient and inadequate to produce the variety of plants needed by the Garden.

This modern and technologically advanced facility was designed by McCoy & Wixon architects to make the most of the natural elements, such as the sun. The highly specialised glasshouse, divided into 8 different compartments can simulate environmental conditions tailored to the plants it hosts, from arid deserts to tropical forests and sub-antarctic islands. The new facility also includes generous potting and propagation areas, media area, office spaces and teaching spaces designed with school groups in mind.

"The new propagation facility provides the space and technology for the Garden to produce a more extensive range of plants from succulents and cacti, to alpines, tropical, subtropical, and ferns and orchids"
Alan Matchett, Botanic Garden (Curator) Team Leader 

Specialised projects such as this don’t come along often, but the challenges of creating this highly complex facility were met head-on by the Cook Brothers Construction team.