living plants grow on perforated aluminum climate installation at new york botanical garden
A Lightweight Climate Device Rethinks the Future of Greenhouses
Architectural designers Hermine Demaël and Stephen Zimmerer, in collaboration with Dr. Evelyn Beaury, present Greenhouse Prototype 2, an interdisciplinary installation developed at the New York Botanical Garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The project combines architectural design and scientific research through a lightweight, mobile climate device designed to create a controlled micro-environment for plants and people.
The installation explores how future greenhouse structures could evolve from sealed enclosures into more permeable habitat refuges capable of supporting species under changing environmental conditions. Through passive airflow, shading, and misting systems, Greenhouse Prototype 2 regulates temperature and humidity while maintaining an open relationship with its surroundings. Constructed using reused materials from previous projects, the installation’s aluminum frame was recycled and reconfigured from a greenhouse exhibited in 2025 at the Syracuse University School of Architecture.
Greenhouse Prototype 2 in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory | all images by Anna Morgowicz / Esto
Etched Metal Surfaces Reveal the Hidden Networks of Plant Life
The current structure features perforated aluminum panels shaped along a ten-foot radius, referencing the curved geometry of the historic glass roof of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Over time, the lightweight surfaces are designed to become covered by vegetation, gradually blending into the surrounding environment.
A large-scale research drawing developed by designers Hermine Demaël and Stephen Zimmerer in collaboration with scientists at the New York Botanical Garden is integrated into the installation. Etched into the aluminum panels, the drawing abstracts microscopic views of leaf vein structures, illustrating the ways plants transport water and distribute resources. Together, the installation and drawing examine different scales of environmental adaptation and responses to climate stress.
The interdisciplinary team combines Demaël’s architectural design background, Zimmerer’s landscape and architectural practice, and Dr. Beaury’s research on climate change, species movement, and migration. Dr. Beaury is Assistant Curator in the Center for Conservation and Restoration Ecology at the New York Botanical Garden. The project was developed through workshops involving architects and scientists from NYBG and Syracuse University. It is supported by a grant from the Architectural League of New York and the New York State Council on the Arts.
a lightweight climate device designed for plants and people
the installation combines architecture with botanical research
the installation’s frame and misting system
passive airflow, shading, and mist regulate the microclimate
a mobile structure rethinks the greenhouse as a habitat refuge
recycled aluminum forms the structure’s lightweight frame
the suspended misting system, embedded in an aluminum channel
the perforated screens with etched imagery
perforated aluminum panels filter light and air
curved panels reference the conservatory’s historic glass roof
the installation investigates climate-responsive greenhouse design
etched aluminum panels feature abstracted leaf vein patterns
the etched imagery visualizes how plants transport water and nutrients
project info:
name: Greenhouse Prototype 2
designer: Demaël-Zimmerer
lead designers: Hermine Demaël | @hermine_dml, Stephen Zimmerer | @stephenzimmerer
design team: Hermine Demaël, Stephen Zimmerer, Evelyn Beaury, PhD, Douglas Daly, PhD
aluminum etching: Kurt Brosnan | @easthilldigifabllc
fabrication facilities: Syracuse Architecture | @syr_arch
location: New York Botanical Garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, New York
dates: June 18th – October 5th, 2026
photographer: Anna Morgowicz / Esto | @annamorgowicz
designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.
edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom
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