Global Flora in Massachusetts

Net zero greenhouse for Wellesley College

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    Project update September 2020 – Global Flora in Massachusetts, MA, USA

    Global Flora reimagines the “stand alone” conservatory as an integrated set of wet and dry biomes that are heated and cooled using only renewable resources. Photo: courtesy KVA.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Global Flora: interdisciplinary botany center.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Responsive building envelope: material efficiency, embodied and operational.

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    Project update September 2020 – Global Flora in Massachusetts, MA, USA

    The Global Flora project is a singular synergistic ecology where architecture and nature work together through strategies of carbon reduction, the use of renewable resources, and an interactive climate management system. Photo: courtesy KVA.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Campus connectivity.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Public presence on campus.

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    Project Update December 2019 – Global Flora in Massachusetts USA

    The camellia pavilion was built around the 150-year-old Durant camellia, which stayed in place throughout construction. In warm weather, the top of the structure can be opened to provide ventilation.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Engage the hill: connect topography with interdisciplinary education.

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    Project update September 2020 – Global Flora in Massachusetts, MA, USA

    One species in particular, the iconic Durant Camellia tree, over 140 years old, continues to occupy a central location in the facility, housed in a seasonal pavilion designed specifically for it that is connected with the new facility. Photo: courtesy KVA.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Interactive learning platform: public access for local and online users.

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    Project Update December 2019 – Global Flora in Massachusetts USA

    The dragon tree (Dracaena draco) is now installed in its new home inside the dry biome of Global Flora. Photo: Wellesley College.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Design in section: dry and temperate biomes.

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    Project update September 2020 – Global Flora in Massachusetts, MA, USA

    Use of local wood from campus trees and regional rock forms used in the interior landscape minimize embodied energy in construction and reduces carbon emissions. Photo: courtesy KVA.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Design in section: humid biomes.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Net zero water: sustainable water systems.

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    Project Update December 2019 – Global Flora in Massachusetts USA

    The conservatory structure hugs the ridge on which it’s built. Photo: Webb Chappell.

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    Net zero energy: sustainable energy systems.

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    LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago

    Members of the team from Kennedy & Violich Architecture (l-r): Mary White, Kristina Jones, Frano Violich, Shawna Meyer, Sheila Kennedy and Cathrin Summa. Their net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College won the Holcim Foundation Awards Bronze 2017 for region North America.

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    LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago

    Presentation to the winners of the Holcim Foundation Awards Bronze (l-r): Member of all five regional Awards juries, Marc Angélil, Professor of Architecture & Design, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich); Pascal Casanova, Member of the Executive Committee of LafargeHolcim responsible for North America including Mexico; Frano Violich, Sheila Kennedy, Shawna Meyer, Kristina Jones, Mary White and Cathrin Summa; and John Stull, CEO Cement LafargeHolcim US.

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    LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago

    Holcim Awards Gold, Silver and Bronze winning teams: Eric Mahoney, Haibin Tan, Constance Bodurow and Will Bright (Gold); Frano Violich, Shawna Meyer and Sheila Kennedy from Kennedy & Violich Architecture (Bronze); and Oliver Lang, Cynthia Wilson and James Ko from LWPAC + Intelligent City (Silver).

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    Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

    KVA Design Team.

  • Awards Bronze 2017–2018 North America

This project reimagines the greenhouse as a locally-sourced, low-energy building linking Wellesley College to the local community, Wellesley, MA, USA.

By Frano Violich - Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Boston, MA, USA; Sheila Kennedy - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA and

Ideas: Regenerative Buildings & Districts, Embodied Carbon , Circular Design

This project reimagines the greenhouse as a locally-sourced, low-energy building linking Wellesley College to the local community, Wellesley, MA, USA.

It is conceived as an educational link between the institution and the community. This project reimagines the greenhouse – typically an energy and water-intensive program – as a net zero energy building.

Global Flora in Massachusetts

Project authors

Project updates

June 17, 2025 | University Buildings | Zürich, Switzerland

Five Essentials for a Sustainable Campus

University campuses have long been spaces of experimentation and progress — incubators for ideas, innovation, and leadership. But today, their role is expanding. As sustainability challenges intensify — spanning climate resilience, resource use, social equity, and economic viability — the design of university buildings is becoming a powerful tool for modelling a more just, regenerative, and inclusive future.
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September 30, 2020 | Project Update | Wellesley, MA, USA

A temple of biodiversity

Project update September 2020 – Global Flora in Massachusetts, MA, USA

Construction of the Holcim Awards winning net-zero energy greenhouse at Wellesley College, USA was completed in 2019. Sustainable design is at the very core of the structure, form, and system – meeting sustainability metrics as a matter of course and then goes much further to achieve a virtuosity of integration. The Global Flora conservatory at the Margaret C Ferguson Greenhouses will open to the general public when renovation of the Science Center is completed, planned for early 2022. More than 1,000 varieties of plants are housed in the bio-friendly greenhouse – and are showing signs of handling the transition well.

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July 19, 2018 | Article – 5th Holcim Awards | Wellesley, MA, USA

“Plants are demanding clients”

“Plants are demanding clients” in Fifth LafargeHolcim Awards – Sustainable Construction 2017/2018

Greenhouses have a very long history of providing microclimates for plants dating back to the Romans. Nevertheless, they can be completely rethought – as evidenced by the very ambitious project for a net zero greenhouse on a college campus.

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March 09, 2018 | Global finalist entry | Wellesley, MA, USA

Global finalist project entry 2018 – Global Flora in Massachusetts, USA

Global finalist entry 2018 – Global Flora

As one of the three main Holcim Awards winners for North America in 2017, “Global Flora” automatically qualified as a finalist in the Global Holcim Awards 2018. All 15 finalist project teams were asked to submit an updated and more comprehensive entry that was evaluated by a global jury in March 2018. 

View project entry posters – Global Holcim Awards

The results of the global phase of the 5th Holcim Awards competition were announced on March 28, 2018.

Read full media release – Global Holcim Awards 2018

October 12, 2017 | Winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards 2017 for North America | Chicago, USA

Building even better with sustainable design

Holcim Awards 2017 for North America prize handover ceremony, Chicago, IL, USA.

Sustainability has become a core principle of architecture and construction in North America. Winners of the Holcim Awards for Sustainable Construction presented in Chicago show how the leading edge of sustainable design means reaching far beyond “common sense”. Their approaches use proven instruments that are cleverly applied to improve the quality of life. So the world builds better.

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June 24, 2017 | Regional Jury Report – North America | Vancouver, Canada

“Sustainability at the very core of the design in structure, form, and system”

Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

This project is an expansion of the botanical collection at Wellesley College. It is conceived as an educational link between the institution and the community. This project reimagines the greenhouse – typically an energy- and water-intensive program – as a net zero energy building. Particular care is taken to source all materials for the projects locally and with low resource intensity both for construction and operations. The lightweight pillow cladding weighs just three percent of what the same area would out of typical insulated glass. The three biomes – dry, temperate, and humid – help support each other through passive air and heat exchange. 

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March 21, 2017 | Statements on the sustainability of the project by the author | Wellesley, MA, USA

Project Entry 2017 for North America

Net-zero greenhouse for Wellesley College, Boston, USA

Global Flora’s sustainable design strategies strengthen the collective public realm

The sustainable use of living soils connects Global Flora plant specimens to local topography and ecosystems, enhancing Campus use as a public resource. An innovative Interactive Platform provides real time air, water, soil and energy status, expanding public access for on-site and online users. Instead of being bounded by a lot line, Global Flora creates a precinct of shared clean energy and water exchanges that remediate the natural landscape and improve land use, value and the sustainability of renovated and new Science buildings. Repurposed masonry, stone and wood from Campus and region-sourced ETFE cladding minimize embodied and operational energy. Global Flora meets living building net zero challenges with intelligent, passive design and humid air transfer between biomes.

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Location

pin Wellesley, MA, USA

Wellesley, MA, USA

Videos

Global Flora: Bronze 2017 North America

Global Flora: Bronze 2017 North America

"Climate Control with Renewable Energy" – Sustainable design by Sheila Kennedy

"Climate Control with Renewable Energy" – Sustainable design by Sheila Kennedy