FIELD OBSERVATION

Interior Urbanism: Krohn Conservatory

Unlike a fully outdoor city park, the Krohn Conservatory protects people and nature from the elements year-round. While walking through the indoor jungle, I noticed how much this interior space behaved like a park that could be found in the exterior. The rainforest environment, walkways paved in outdoor materials, and park benches gave the space an urban feel. The glass walls and ceiling make it a true interior but allow sunlight to filter through, further exuding an exterior environment. Upon entering the palm house, trees tower overhead as they reach for the ceiling, while smaller plants occupy the beds along the path.

The space presents itself as an overwhelming display of over 3500 species of flora and fauna, yet the intentionality with which each one was planted provides a feeling of calm and safety. The many textures, colors, sounds, and feel of the air within the room created a perfect condition for immersion. I was filled with awe and wonder at every turn of the winding path and felt at peace among nature so beautifully curated yet still uncontrollable. The wild nature and sometimes unmanageable growth of plants is still evident in such a controlled space. I walked around noticing vines that had latched onto the structure itself and begun to climb, and small shoots of new growth beneath the grates for drainage. There were even thin roots growing down from the ceiling creating a natural drape over the path. The idea of nature vs. control manifested itself in the conservatory in many ways.

For this collage, I chose a monochromatic approach to represent the tension between natural and manmade. In the conservatory, many vines climbed on the mullions of the glass structure as if seeking escape. The indoor garden is a human effort to contain nature’s beauty, but I challenged the notion by showing plants breaking the ceiling and billowing out.