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The Herbarium at Benmore

Part 1 Project 2014
Jack Baker
 Mackintosh School of Architecture | UK
A herbarium is a library containing dried plants. It is a sanctuary of knowledge, discovery and exploration. Once a plant has been carefully processed and placed into archive its cycle has not ended, it has just begun. Specimens are regularly compared and reconsidered to help experts figure out the changing patterns in the World’s plants.

The proposal for a small herbarium in the Benmore botanical gardens, just north of Dunoon, focuses on a unique architectural experience in which to archive and study plants. The form and organization of the building has come from extensive research into the users needs, the context and the importance of plant life in developing our knowledge of the Earth. The proposal aims to allow the researchers to immerse themselves within the subject by providing them with inspirational surroundings in which to work.

Sustainability and longevity are also key factors that influenced the design. The building is to remain “off-grid” throughout the seasons, and this has been achieved through the basis of key design principles such as form, orientation and functionality. The site, in which the herbarium sits, has been enhanced to provide the ending to a journey through the gardens, but also deliver long-lasting surroundings that will continue to inspire researchers.

Embedding a building within its context has been a strong on-going theme throughout my undergraduate studies. As an architecture student, I am designing for people and for place. In this project, the people will be at work within the building. It was key to investigate their daily routines to inform the design of a series of spaces that will inspire them every time they step foot inside. Appropriately, the setting is a botanical garden, containing a rich variety of plant-life. Instead of blending into its surroundings the building aims to stand proud yet firmly rooted to the ground through appropriate form and a simple palette of materials informed by the immediate context.


Tutor(s)
2014
The view from within the centre of the Herbarium
An early investigation into the subject of plant life, the importance of Herbaria and the way they function.
The building is located in Benmore Botanical Gardens, on the West Coast of Scotland and is host to an abundance of plant life from all over the world.
The herbarium’s exact location is in the Bhutanese Glade, an exposed site upon a rock surrounded by tough, Himalayan trees.
After creating a basic arrangement of space, this was tested on site and manipulated to suite the context. The main space was to become the centrepiece of the design to emphasise the importance of the subject.
Vernacular Scottish architecture and old libraries influenced the design to create a large space in which to stand surrounded by knowledge.
How light entered the main space was key, as not to damage any specimens whilst providing a unique atmosphere to work.
The central void is used to store books, seedlings and any instruments required to study. Again referencing the vernacular with thick, protective outer walls and thin, finely crafted bones.
Using narrow houses as a precedent allowed the overall footprint to shrink to ensure the scheme was of a domestic size. This creates a very small, specialised institution.
Key refinements in the fabric of the building allowed for thick walls that could store the specimens, ensuring a holistic design.
The site has been enhanced to create an ending to a journey. Different species of tree have been strategically planted to shelter and engage the visitors.
A remote object in the landscape, it is essential that the building can sustain itself throughout the seasons.
Plans and interior views of the building
A long section taken through the entire building and interior views.
A sense of arrival.
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