The Horticulture Center Complex
$29 Million Goal
“The Center will be a convener for stewardship and learning that, by example,
demonstrates the relationship between people, plants, and place;
where daily support of the garden is nourished, and where function integrates with beauty.” ~ Design Team Mission Statement, December 2006
The need for new indoor space has consistently been one of
the Arboretum’s greatest challenges. While the Arboretum
has sustained tremendous growth in visitation and
participation over the past decade, it has continued to
operate in facilities built for a late 19th century private
estate. Presently, the largest interior space at the Arboretum
can hold 68 people, and meeting spaces are often booked
months in advance for internal meetings, community
business and facility rentals.
Plans for a new facility at Bloomfield Farm were envisioned
three decades ago during the completion of the Arboretum’s
comprehensive plan. Today, this vision is becoming a reality
thanks to a capital grant from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and leadership gifts from Dorrance H. Hamilton,
the William Penn Foundation and John and Janet Haas.
Schematic designs for a 40,000-square-foot Horticulture
Center Complex, with ample space for education, facilities
and horticulture staff, as well as assembly space for classes,
seminars and special events have been completed.
 Project goals include creating a “forward looking” building of
national significance; a “green” building incorporating the
highest standards in sustainable principles; a structure that is
respectful of its site and surroundings; and a facility that meets
programmatic and revenue-generating needs.
This project will serve as the University of Pennsylvania’s first
newly-constructed “green” building project, providing a noteworthy
local, regional and national example for sustainable
design and construction. According to the U.S. Green Building
Council, if realized, the Complex will be the first new
construction, not-for-profit Platinum Level LEED® Certified
building in the greater Philadelphia region and only the second
Platinum Level LEED® Certified building in the entire
Commonwealth. As such, this project could operate as a
national “green” model, inspiring and encouraging other
organizations, both non-profits as well as for-profits, to
consider environmentally sustainable and regenerative design
in their construction planning.
The Horticulture Center Complex’s prestigious design team
consists of Overland Partners, a Texas architectural firm;
Muscoe Martin of Philadelphia’s M2 Architecture; and
Andropogon Associates, the Arboretum’s landscape planning
partner since 1977. They have developed impressive
schematic designs, which were approved by the Advisory
Board of Managers in June 2007.
Growing Greener: New Horticulture Center Complex
Expands Education, Event and Staff Space
How the Horticulture Center Complex Will Grow
 The Horticulture Center Complex will be constructed in two
phases. Phase I will consist of the Horticulture Staff Building,
vehicle storage and the complex’s infrastructure, including
parking and circulation paths. With the state grant and
Dorrance H. Hamilton’s gift, groundbreaking for Phase I is
anticipated for Fall 2008 with completion anticipated for
Fall 2009. The Horticulture Staff Building is a 20,840-squarefoot
facility that will provide the following for horticulture,
public programs and facility staff:
• 24 office spaces
• Two conference rooms
• Kitchen
• Break room
• Men’s and women’s locker rooms
• Mechanic and arborists shop
• Storage for Arboretum vehicles including trucks,
garden carts, lawn mowers and other large equipment
Phase II of the Complex will focus on a new Education
Building that will greatly increase the Arboretum’s capacity
for offering on-site public programs. Additionally, the new
space will strengthen the Arboretum’s finances by providing
increased opportunities for earned income through
educational program offerings and special event facility
rentals. Highlights of Phase II of the Horticulture Center Complex include:
• Large conference/special event space for 200 people
• Three additional classrooms, one dedicated to children
• Outdoor classroom and amphitheater space
• Public gallery space
Fundraising for Phase II is currently underway with a goal to
break ground by Fall 2010.
For additional information please contact:
Melissa von Stade, Director of Development
215-247-5777 ext. 102
mstade@exchange.upenn.edu
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