The Australian Plantbank
learning° / working°
The Australian Plantbank is located in Mount Annan, Sydney. The project was commissioned by the Royal Botanic Garden & Domain Trust, with architecture by BVN. It was opened in 2013.
Size: 13,500m2
Budget: $19,800,000
Scope: Concept Design, Development Application, Detail Documentation, Construction, Post Occupancy Evaluation
Plantbank has been recognised with the following awards:
2018 AILA National Excellence Award for Cultural Heritage
2018 AILA NSW Design Award for Cultural Heritage
2014 AIA National award for Public Architecture
2014 AIA National award for Sustainable Architecture
2014 WAF High Commendation for Research Building
Abstracted woodland garden
1. The Abstracted Woodland garden distils and re-presents each vital component of the endangered Cumberland Plain plant ecology (above left)
2. Lichen Garden composed of recycled heritage sandstone (below left)
3. Visitors are able to engage with the science (right)
Main Entry
Lichen Garden
Cultivating knowledge through interaction
‘Thinking and leadership were respectfully elevated to achieve this impressive result.’
-2018 AILA National Excellence Award Citation
Site Section
2018 AILA National Excellence Award Citation
The Plantbank is a research institute, seed repository and public building set amongst the Australian Botanic Gardens at Mount Annan in the south-western suburbs of Sydney. The seed bank is the largest collection of plant seeds in the country, storing over 100 million seeds from representative of 20% of Australia’s flora. The landscape design reinforces this and serves as an outstanding reminder of the value of native flora in maintaining landscape systems and community identity as significant component of cultural heritage.
The landscape architects have ensured the seamless integration with the building and beautifully reinforced the objectives of conserving seed for the future. An explorative and imaginative use of materials, especially the paving inlays and the mirrored under croft elevates this important cultural project to an exceptional level.
The project demonstrates a unique collaboration between the consultant and the client for the duration of the project, one where thinking and leadership were respectfully elevated to achieve this impressive result. The vision of the client, the horticultural staff and the landscape architect involved should be commended for delivering this important project for Australia.
Initial Concept Sketch
Abstracted Woodland Garden
Initial Concept Sketch
Reflective architectural facade
Celebrating the endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland
Reflective architectural soffit
‘Plantbank is a thoughtful blend of science and art.’
- 2018 AILA NSW Awards Jury Citation
1. Initial Concept Perspective (above left)
2. The adjacent endangered woodland is distilled and re-presented in a series of garden beds used for scientific experiments (below left)
3. Lichen Garden composed of recycled Sydney heritage sandstone (right)
Outdoor learning space
Lichen Garden
Transitional edge of woodland and garden
Abstracted Woodland Garden and Entry Path
2018 AILA NSW State Award Citation
The Australian Plantbank is a remarkable new plant conservation laboratory at The Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan, part of an international network of scientific institutions seeking to preserve global plant biodiversity. The centre presents long-awaited and much-needed infrastructure that is critical to the urgent task of banking Australia’s diverse flora, which is increasingly under pressure.
The gardens are a collaborative effort by 360 Degrees Landscape Architects and the horticultural and botanical specialists at The Australian Botanic Garden. They provide a test-bed for experimentation with biological variables of the surrounding endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland, distilling its inscrutable character into a legible series of gardens based on the typologies of woodland and meadow. In this way, the project seeks to reinterpret and thereby deepen our connection with this rare and delicate vegetation community. It is rare to see experimental test beds displayed to the public in such an engaging way. The beds are never static and connect directly with the workings of the lab and its internal displays.
Plantbank is a thoughtful blend of science and art. It visibly communicates the contingent and ephemeral nature of vegetation communities.
