Hercs Flora – Latvia

Category: Green Interior

When making this project, we had a challenge to fulfill 3 functions:
1. Copy natural environment for exotic animals by using plants that are Subtropical climate zone based.
2. Use strong design perspective. Exhibition hall contains very few elements except plants and most interior is built using plants and trees. They had to fulfill functions such as zone, divide and cover different exception areas and look good and logical at the same time.
3. Make a plant collection that is rare and highly educational. Work contains 110 different species, of which some very rare in Europe. In total 2500 plants 20-900cm high. Some bought from standard suppliers in Netherlands, some ordered from growers in Thailand, Malaya, Spain, Italy. Over 20 very specific species were bought from private collectors all over Europe. It should be mentioned that not all of them were willing to share plants with someone outside the community.
Installation was done September 2022, and opened for visitors on this spring after 6 month animal adaptation period.
Most sustainability issues were based in the fact that it was needed to provide hot, light and moisture climate in Northern country that has -20 degree cold and 6 hour of daylight in winter. Architects and constructors in order to save recourses and lower costs designed maximum use of environmental recourses. The building has a see through roof, that gives warmth from the sun in winter and keeps cool in summer. One more interesting sustainability fact is that local compost made by help of zoo animals were used in the planting process.

Do you want this project to win the Public award?

Share this post on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and use hashtags #RainnTallinn #EILOBestProject2023