The renovation of the University of Turku’s Botanic Garden is currently in the planning phase, and according to preliminary estimates, work will begin next summer. The outdoor garden will remain open to visitors as usual, and efforts will be made to keep some of the greenhouses open to the public during the renovation. .
According to preliminary estimates, the renovation of the greenhouses and other facilities of the Botanic Garden will be carried out in 2026–2028.
In the renovation project, the greenhouses, lobby areas and the necessary part of the working spaces of the Botanic Garden will be renovated. The renovation is based on the repair needs identified in the condition assessments, such as the replacement of building and automation technology and some building components.
The Botanic Garden serves more than 100,000 visitors annually, but in addition to the collection greenhouses familiar to the public, the garden also has several research greenhouses and, for example, laboratory facilities for research and teaching groups.
"By keeping the buildings in good condition and the building technology up to date, we can secure the maintenance of the collection greenhouses and ensure that the garden serves the needs of a modern research and teaching environment, and also serves as a modern tourist destination," says Ilari Sääksjärvi, Professor of Biodiversity Research.
In the collection greenhouses, which are open to the public, the greenhouse automation and the windows of the greenhouses, for example, will be renewed, which is why the renovation of the public spaces will be scheduled for the summer months. The renovation work will be carried out in stages over the next three years.
"Our goal is to carry out the repair work as smoothly as possible from the point of view of the garden's operations, and to ensure that the structures and technology of the greenhouses serve reliably far into the future. The conditions of the greenhouses set their own requirements for the work, so in the planning of the project, we pay special attention to the pacing of the work areas and phases in order to ensure the smooth running of the work and the well-being of the plant collections at different stages," says Facility Manager Jari Ukkonen.
The aim is to keep the greenhouses partially open to the public
The aim is to carry out the renovation work, which is currently in the planning phase, one greenhouse at a time, so that at least some of the greenhouses can be kept open to visitors during the renovation. The outdoor garden will serve visitors normally throughout the renovation.
The collections of the garden's greenhouses will be moved either to temporary premises for the duration of the renovation, or the aim is to protect them in other ways. The goal is to be able to preserve as much of the collection of more than 5000 species as possible.
The collections include several rare and critically endangered plant species, the protection of which will be taken special care of during the renovation. In addition, the greenhouses can be found, for example, decades-old cacti reaching up to the ceiling, succulents and many large trees, such as the giant amazon beech tree, which will also be preserved over the renovation in one way or another.
"We can try to build scaffolding around the plants, and we are currently investigating whether it would be possible to keep large trees or cacti, for example, in place during the renovation. Smaller plants, on the other hand, can be moved from one greenhouse to another or to the shelter of research greenhouses. And those plants that cannot be kept unchanged during the renovation, we can regrow from cuttings or seeds. In other words, even though we may temporarily lose some of the showiness of our large plants, the scope of our collection and the species will remain unchanged," says Head Gardener Simo Laine.
Renovation in a nutshell - the renovation will renew:
- building services engineering
- greenhouse automation
- greenhouse windows
- some of the metal structures
- electrical systems
- lighting
In addition, the renovation will include repairing the pool and the corridors of the greenhouses, as necessary.
A more detailed start date of the renovation will be announced once the schedule has been confirmed. You can follow the progress of the renovation and the changes it causes to the garden's public services on the garden's website.
