Xintong He | Architectural Portfolio | Graz Botanical Garden

GRAZ BOTANICAL GARDEN

By Paige Diamond, Rigoberto Berber-Arias, Wesley Brittain, Xintong He

Contents

Graduate Studio Group Project

01

Project Information

02

Reconstruction

03

Adaptation & Expansion

- 01 Project Information

Structure - Materials - Programs - Context

The original structure of the constructive skeleton is the parabolic arch. Due to economical constraints, the same arch is used in all three houses except the fragment located along the street. The exterior of the building is made up of transparent convex double-leaf acrylic shells that are directly fixed to the load-bearing members. The parabolic arch structure provides maximum structural efficiency which enables a higher glass-to-structure ratio as well as maximizes daylighting and light gains. There are three interconnected greenhouses with four climate zones, a nursery with three climate zones and one seminar room. The botanical garden contains about 7,400 species of plants. Inside, there are four different climate zones, with temperatures ranging from 8°C to 24°C and a humidity of 50% to 80%.

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Existing Building

7 5 1 4 2 3

Proposed Design

Existing Building Site Plan

1 Tropical House 2 Succulent House

3 Cold House 4 Research/Teaching Facilities

5 Tempered House 6 Restrooms

7 Cultivation House (Cold, Tempered, Warm Plants)

Existing Building When looking at the surrounding site it was clear that we only had a few options to expand on the existing site. Our design decisions were driven by the current site conditions and our goal was to disturb the surrounding areas as little as possible. In order to achieve this we decided only to expand into the areas that we are demolishing and to leave the other existing areas untouched by new construction.

Temperate House Collections

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Tropical House Collections

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Cold House Collections

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Succulent House Collections

1 Tropical House

2 Succulent House

3 Tempered House

4 Cold House

- 02 Reconstruction

Throughout the process of reconstructing the original building we were able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the existing building.

We used these strengths and weaknesses as a way to inform our decisions for the expansion and adaptation.

The overall goal is to integrate the new buildings with the existing while improving the technology and innovation of the new structures. We are also proposing adding to the existing landscaping surrounding the buildings. The garden will connect the existing glasshouses with local fauna and flora and expand the existing biophelia. This will benefit the users and the local surroundings.

Proposed Design

Community Garden & New Nursery

The goal of our expansion and adaptation is to integrate the new buildings with the existing ones while improving the technology and innovation of the new structures. Since the existing botanical garden is located at a University, we decided to incorporate a community garden as the complementary program.

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Offer general community support and equity and justice Promote health and well-being

4

Education and leadership opportunities

1

Introduce edible and local ecology

The current nursery will be demolished and replaced with a new nursery that follows the same form as the three main existing glasshouses. This new building will be attached to the other three glasshouses. It will also house the office spaces for the workers and the bathrooms.

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Flexible space Promote a sustainable community

Redesigned Building Site Plan

Hydroponics and Rainwater Harvesting

Proposed Circulation

1 Tropical House 2 Succulent House

3 Cold House 4 Tempered House

5 Community Garden 6 Nursery

COLD HOUSE Climate: Cold and Dry

Community Garden Edible Collections

Key Features: Desert plants of the Southwest United States Succulents and Cacti

Key Features: Mediterranean vegetation with citrus plants and eucalypti

TROPICAL HOUSE Climate: Warm and Humid Key Features: Equatorial plants of the tropics including orchids and mangrove trees.

Graz is located between climate zone 5 (The Alps) and zone 7 (the wood area). Therefore the collections we are introducing to our outdoor community garden must be hardy and will vary depending on the time of year they are planted. The garden will change its collections during the fall and the spring. Spring/ Summer Crops will include pumpkins, beans, squashes, cucumbers, and melons. These should be planted in mid-April and the seeds should be planted directly into the ground.

Seeding the garden in the fall is key because the crops need to mature before the frost begins. The frost in Graz typically begins in mid-October. Fall/Winter Crops will include garlic, onions, kale, carrots, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. These can be seeded directly into the ground at the beginning of August. However, for optimum growth, since it’s hot this time of year, it’s better to start these plants inside and transplant them to the garden. If starting them inside, then these should be planted towards the end of June and transplanted at the end of July.

SUCCULENT HOUSE Climate: Dry and Arid

TEMPERATE HOUSE Climate: Moderate and Humid

Pumpkins

Squashes

Key Features: Vegetation of South America and Australia

Melons

PROPOSED NURSERY Climate: Moderate and Dry PROPOSED COMMUNITY GARDEN Climate: Mild to warm summers and Cold dry winters

Kale Community Garden Collections

Broccoli

Key Features: Edible vegetation from the Alps and Woodland areas

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Key Features: Hydroponic vegetation and edible vegetation from the Alps and Woodland areas

- 03 Adaptation & Expansion

Throughout the process of reconstructing the original building we were able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the existing building.

We used these strengths and weaknesses as a way to inform our decisions for the expansion and adaptation.

The overall goal is to integrate the new buildings with the existing while improving the technology and innovation of the new structures. We are also proposing adding to the existing landscaping surrounding the buildings. The garden will connect the existing glasshouses with local fauna and flora and expand the existing biophelia. This will benefit the users and the local surroundings.

New Set Of Drawings

EXPANSION SECTION View of the Community Garden and Temperate House

EXPANSION FIRST FLOOR PLAN

Programs 1. Entrance 2. Succulent House 3. Cold house 4. Tempered House 5. Tropical House 6. Nursery 7. Offices 8. Bathrooms 9. Community Garden

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ROOF PLAN

Programs 1. Entrance 2. Succulent House 3. Cold house 4. Tempered House 5. Tropical House 6. Nursery 7. Community Garden

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SECTION TWO - 1:200 6 N

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EXPANSION SECTION SECOND FLOOR PLAN

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View of the Nursery + Offices and Temperate House

Programs 1. Entrance 2. Succulent House 3. Cold house 4. Tempered House 5. Tropical House 6. Nursery 7. Community Garden

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TOPOGRAPHY, LEVELS AND CONTEXT

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SITE LOWPONT

BUILDING CIRCULATIONS

Context Key 1. Street 2. Surrounding Pathways 3. Seating Area 4. Surrounding Garden Collections

Circulation Key Upper Level Transitional Lower Level

+ 0.OOM MAIN ENTRY/EXIT MAIN ENTRY/EXIT

SITE MIDPOINT + 1.OOM

SITE MIDPOINT + 3.OOM

3 SITE HIGH POINT + 4.OOM SECONDARY ENTRY/EXIT

4 COMMUNITY GARDEN ENTRY/EXIT

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AXONOMETRIC - 1:300

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AXONOMETRIC - 1:300

Summer Solstice

SUNPATH AND VENTILATION

Summer Solstice Sunrise 4:03 AM Sunset: 7:57 PM

WARM AIR RELEASED THROUGH PASSIVE VENTILATION

BIOCLIMATE AND RAINWATER COLLECTION

Winter Solstice Sunrise 7:41 AM Sunset: 4:11 PM

Winter Solstice

RAINWATER COLLECTION Captured Runoff Storm water, planters, and gutters Key Features: Gravity based filtration with a 5,000 gallon cistern. The stored water is pumped back into the building water supply to water the plants and flush the toilets.

OPERABLE WINDOWS FOR VENTILATION ALONG TOP AND BOTTOM OF STRUCTURES

Existing water pipes housed within parabolic structure

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WARM AIR RELEASED THROUGH PASSIVE VENTILATION

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6 7 Proposed Gutters around exterior of all buildings to flow into Cistern

INCOMING COOL NORTH AIR Greywater for Greenhouse Plants & plumbing

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Flow from stormwater

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Underground Filtration Unit

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5K Gallon Cistern

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Pump

6 INCOMING COOL NORTH AIR

INCOMING COOL NORTH AIR

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OPEN AIR COMMUNITY GARDEN 2.5

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Existing 3k Gallon Cistern and overflow tank

10m

AXONOMETRIC - 1:300

AXONOMETRIC - 1:300

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Pump

Water to flow back into community garden and existing greenhouses to water the collections

Fall 2022