THE SCOTT ARBORETUM OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE

Education Center - Goals & Activities

Goals

Creation of the new facility addresses the five primary goals outlined in the Scott Arboretum’s Strategic Plan, and meets specific building objectives outlined in architects Archer & Buchanan’s Schematic Design Phase Report, 2004.

  1. Horticultural Display: The Scott Arboretum will be among the best-maintained and most attractive campuses and arboreta in the United States.
    • Building Objectives: The facility will, first and foremost, serve as a production greenhouse that efficiently serves the plant growing activities of the organization. The Center will be a finely-scaled, well-crafted and attractive background building sensitively placed to contribute to the beauty of Swarthmore campus. The Workroom (565 net square feet or nsf) is the functional center of the facility, serving the greenhouse, providing flexible support for outreach activities, and as the base for the Scott Arboretum’s horticultural responsibilities across the campus. Service, mechanical, and storage spaces (1,200 nsf) are located in the lower level. In addition to housing the “guts” of the building, such as heating, plumbing and electrical systems, the service area provides much-needed storage space for bulk soils, chemicals, motorized hand and field equipment, as well as over-wintering space for dormant plants.
  2. Plant Evaluation: The Arboretum will acquire, cultivate and display collections of “good” ornamental plants and evaluate collections to ensure improved varieties are added and inferior ones deleted.
    • Greenhouse Objectives: The glass greenhouse will contain five (5) independently contained chambers. The propagation chamber (200nsf) will be dedicated to plants grown from seed and cuttings and to train volunteers and program participants in these methods. Flexible chambers (3 total) (1@300 nsf, 2@500 nsf) will allow for a variety of growing environments and uses. The over-wintering chamber (250nsf) will over-winter plants now kept off-site and serve as flexible growing space for display or for program activities off-season.
    • Office Objective: The Center’s small office(56nsf) will house greenhouse records, access to computerized BG-Base and BG-Map collections information, resource, and reference materials.
  3. Public Education: The Arboretum will disseminate information to the public about the Arboretum’s collections through labeling, interpretation, public programs, and publications.
    • Public space objectives: The Classroom (625nsf) is the most public space in the building; it is designed with an open floor plan to serve both as a lecture room and as a workshop for hands-on projects. The kitchenette (75nsf) will support volunteers and provide a staging area for catered events. The reception lobby-west entrance (270nsf) faces the Terry Shane Teaching Garden, and is situated so the north and south walls can be opened to form a single space for expanded public programs, events, or receptions.
  4. Support for the Future: The Arboretum’s goal is to provide the administrative framework to support the mission of the organization, and vision for the future.
    • Siting & Flexibility Objectives: The building will be sited to maximize direct exposure to sun and will be ecologically sensitive with regard to the local environment, selection of building materials, and long-term efficiency of operations. Flexibly designed, the building will accommodate change over time. The greenhouse’s glass structure will be made of standard greenhouse structural modules that can be expanded in two areas.
  5. Scott Associates Program: The Arboretum will develop and improve the programming, communications, training and involvement of Associates who volunteer their time and talents to the Arboretum.
    • Volunteer Objectives: The facility will provide a useful, resilient, durable, and attractive environment for visitors, program participants and volunteers. Volunteer corridor (120 nsf) will, for the first time, provide 100 lockers where volunteers can “hang their hats.” The welcome vestibule-north entrance (120 nsf) will display a variety of informational brochures as well as volunteer announcements and upcoming events, and links the ADA-compliant restrooms (2@38 nsf each), outreach room, and volunteer corridor.

Activities

The project team of council, volunteers, staff, and associates has decided priorities; the architects have drawn preliminary sketches and provided estimates; and fundraising counsel has been retained. The Scott Arboretum will raise the $2,571,200 needed for construction and to endow the facility to serve its needs. Once funds are raised, detailed drawings will be made, construction estimates written and bid, and construction will begin. Once the facility has opened, current programs can migrate to and expand in the new facility.