Ian Potter National Conservatory

The Australian National Botanic Gardens and the Ian Potter Foundation congratulate the design team led by CHROFI on creating a breathtaking design for our Ian Potter National Conservatory.

Five finalists were chosen from a national design competition with the design by architects CHROFI selected for their innovative, bold and environmentally-conscious design.

With an impressive resume from the design team including the design of the TKTS Booth in Times Square New York, the NGA Australian Garden, The Calyx at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney to name just a few, CHROFI, McGregor Coxall and Atelier Ten were the standout design team with their ‘hovering cube’ concept framed by a void in the sky and transparent and translucent layered skins.

Gardens’ Executive Director Judy West said the Conservatory would display and conserve rare and threatened plant species that many Australians will never see in the wild sourced from Kakadu and Christmas Island national parks, also managed by Parks Australia.

“I’d like to thank the Ian Potter Foundation for their support for the Conservatory – they are generously contributing $1.5 million to this project. I’d also like to thank the Friends of the Gardens for their unbelievable and unstinting support for the Gardens’ 20-year Master Plan. Together we’re making the Australian National Botanic Gardens the best of its kind in the world – ready to celebrate our 50th anniversary in October 2020,” Judy said.

CHROFI director John Choi said his team were honoured to be selected for this landmark building in the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

“The Ian Potter Conservatory is conceived as an entirely new type of conservatory – a gallery for plants for the 21st century. Rather than the traditional uniform glass envelope, a series of rooms offer a variety of immersive spaces that provide visitors multiple ways to interact with and experience the living exhibit,” Mr Choi said. “Concurrently, with a more strategic approach to glazing, the design will deliver world-leading environmental performance.” The Ian Potter National Conservatory will be one of the first major infrastructure projects to be constructed from the Australian National Botanic Gardens 20-year Master Plan.

In celebration of the announcement of the winning Conservatory design, a special exhibition will be held at the Australian National Botanic Gardens showcasing the top five entries from the Ian Potter National Conservatory Design Competition. The exhibition will commence on 22 October through to 5 November.

Construction of The Ian Potter Foundation National Conservatory is expected to begin in 2017, ready for an official opening in 2018. The Ian Potter National Conservatory is expected to be constructed for $6 million with $1.5 million being provided by the Ian Potter Foundation.