4 ConEd Learning Hours
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Located within the Niagara Parks Botanical Garden, the Butterfly Conservatory is an immersive, year-round destination that provides an interactive, educational experience for viewing butterflies within a tropical conservatory. This multi-award winning venue has been recognized for its broad range of technical, social, and design innovation and application of first principles of bioclimatic design. Most recently, it was recognized by the RAIC’s and Heritage Trust of Canada’s 2020 Prix du XXe Siècle Award of Excellence, which recognizes and celebrates Canada’s landmark buildings of the 20 th century.
Designed in 1994 by Baird Sampson architects (now BSN architects, part of WF Group), the facility has received in excess of 250,000 paid annual visits since opening in 1996. Facilities includes a compact, publicly accessible front-of-house and interior garden experience and back-of-house production areas and greenhouses for the rearing of caterpillars and host plants for butterflies. Designed to operate as an extension of the Niagara Parks School of Horticulture, the facilities provide both experiential learning for Niagara region’s horticultural community, and visitors from within Canada and all over the world.
Learning Objectives
- Gain insight into the design and operational concepts.
- Examine applications of whole building and bioclimatic design principles.
- Learn about the building envelope and HVAC systems design.
- Understand the design conditions required for plants, butterflies, visitors, and operators.
Jon Neuert, principal at Baird Sampson Neuert architects (BSN), is a renowned architect with over 30 years of experience in sustainable community development and bioclimatic building design. A Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), he has spearheaded BSN's reputation for innovative design and sustainability, having served as design lead on many of the firm’s award-winning projects. Notable early experience includes his role as project architect of the Butterfly Conservatory in the Niagara Parks Botanical Garden completed in 1996. Jon's commitment to collaborative, sustainable, and holistic building reflects the enduring design integrity of the firm with numerous accolades that include three Governor General awards, 14 OAA awards, and three Canada Green Building awards. Serving as a subject matter expert for the OAA's Climate Action Advisory Group and a design critic at esteemed institutions, Jon continues to shape the future of architecture.