The Huntsville (Ala.) Botanical Garden held a groundbreaking ceremony on January 20 for a $13 million, 30,000-sf Guest Welcome Center that, when completed next year, will be a second piece in the Garden’s five-point growth strategy.
Turner Construction, which provided preconstruction services, was tapped to build the Welcome Center. Turner has been a presence in Huntsville for more than 60 years, and its projects there include the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, and the Huntsville Public Library.
The Building Team on the Welcome Center includes Matheny Goldmon Architecture + Interiors (architect and designer), 4Site Incorporated, PEC Structural Engineering, and SSOE Group.
The 112-acre Huntsville Botanical Garden, which opened on May 21, 1988, receives an estimated 350,000 visitors annually. Its attractions include its butterfly house, Grand Railway, and Dogwood trail. The 4.6-acre site on which the Welcome Center is being built had previously been used for parking.
The Welcome Center is one of five expansion components in the Garden’s Master Plan, created by Landscape Architect Tres Fromme of 3.fromme DESIGN, Sanford, Fla. The others are new parking and an enhanced entrance, which have been completed; enhancements to the existing gardens; a new Column Courtyard with 10 remaining columns from the Old Madison County Courthouse, which was demolished in the 1960s; and a new Education Center, to be used primarily for children’s programs, environmental and sustainability education, and a certification program for professionals.
The Welcome Center is designed to resemble a traditional Southern-style home. The building will consist of three rental facilities: A Grand Hall that can accommodate up to 350 guests, a more casual Carriage House, which can hold more than 200 guests, and a glass Conservatory, for up to 40 guests.
The Welcome Center will also include a 3,500-sf check-in area, as well as a café and gift shop. The second-floor mezzanine will include exhibit space as well as offices, storage, and conference space.
Turner says it will employ BIM technology on this project “to deliver the highest quality result in the shortest amount of time.” The building should be completed by early next year, and next month the nonprofit Huntsville-Madison County Botanical Garden Society plans to start taking reservations for 2017 events.
The Garden's Master Plan calls for adding to existing gardens, and building an Education Center. Image: 3.fromme DESIGN/Courtesy of Huntsville Botanical Garden Society.
Image: Matheny Goldmon + Interiors
Image: Matheny Goldmon + Interiors
Related Stories
Sponsored | | Nov 19, 2014
Long-life coatings vs. long-life screws
Are you concerned with the long-life protection of your metal building project? SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Nov 19, 2014
Build green while you work green
Leading general contractors, including Skanska USA and Turner Construction, are implementing sustainable modular jobsite offices throughout the country. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Nov 19, 2014
Fire resistive, blast-resistant glazing: Where security, safety, and transparency converge
Security, safety and transparency don’t have to be mutually exclusive thanks to new glazing technology designed to support blast and fire-resistant secure buildings. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Nov 19, 2014
Must see: Arup, Damian Rogers propose urban surf park in Melbourne
The surfing pool would offer 98-foot-wide waves that would run the length of the 500-foot-long enclave.
| Nov 18, 2014
Architecture Billings Index dips in October, still shows positive outlook design services
Headed by the continued strength in the multifamily residential market and the emerging growth for institutional projects, demand for design services continues to be healthy, as exhibited in the latest Architecture Billings Index.
| Nov 18, 2014
New tool helps developers, contractors identify geographic risk for construction
The new interactive tool from Aon Risk Solutions provides real-time updates pertaining to the risk climate of municipalities across the U.S.
| Nov 18, 2014
Grimshaw releases newest designs for world’s largest airport
The airport is expected to serve 90 million passengers a year on the opening of the first phase, and more than 150 million annually after project completion in 2018.
| Nov 17, 2014
Nearly two years after Sandy Hook, the bloodshed continues
It’s been almost two years since 20 first-graders were shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., but these incidents, both planned and random, keep occurring, writes BD+C's Robert Cassidy.
| Nov 17, 2014
Hospitality at the workplace: 5 ways hotels are transforming the office
During the past five years, the worlds of hospitality and corporate real estate have undergone an incredible transformation. The traditional approach toward real estate asset management has shifted to a focus on offerings that accommodate mobility, changing demographics, and technology, writes HOK's Eva Garza.
| Nov 17, 2014
Developments in 3D printing can assist architecture in the smallest details
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a way for 3D printed metals to be produced with an unprecedented degree of precision.
