The brand new $1.4m Glasshouse at the North Coast Regional Garden in Coffs Harbour has been officially opened.
“The Botanic Garden is often referred to as Coffs Harbour’s best-kept secret, but the reality is that thousands of people every year visit and enjoy this beautiful corner of paradise,” Coffs Harbour Mayor Councillor Paul Amos said.
The Mayor opened the Glasshouse along with Gurmesh Singh MP, Pat Conaghan MP and President of the Friends of the Botanic Garden Nola Miles.
“And now we have this splendid new Glasshouse which will only see more and more people coming here to discover the wonders of the Botanic Garden,” he said.
The Glasshouse, which was designed by local firm GHD, offers two experiences – a tropical house and a shade house.
Temperature and ventilation is controlled in the tropical house by a passive, energy-efficient system that uses the Sun, thermal heat storage in the stone walls and pathways and computer-controlled louvre vents. This maintains the temperature at around 32 degrees. A nine kilowatt heating system assists during the winter.
The roof and some walls are also fitted with special gel-coated ‘webglas’ to reduce the loss of heat and watering of the plants is provided by a micro spray system.
The adjacent shade house displays the Garden’s extensive bromeliad and orchid collections along with a wide range of ferns and shade-loving species. They are kept cool and damp by the roof, natural air flow, a drip irrigation system and undersoil drainage.
The Glasshouse foyer area is designed as flexible space able to accommodate educational visits and events.
Members of the Friends of the Botanic Garden assisted with the establishment of plants in and around the new facility.
“The Glasshouse is a fantastic addition to the many different experiences the Garden offers visitors all year round,” said Garden Curator Rick Ackland.
The project cost $1,464,096 in total. It was funded from a $782,096 grant from the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program (LRCIP), a $597,300 grant from the NSW Government’s Crown Reserve Improvement Fund (CRIF) and the balance from Coffs Harbour City Council.
