[Wpg_Guy]

Diversity Gardens complexity through the roof
Assiniboine Park project won’t open until 2021 due to construction delays
By: Maggie Macintosh | Posted: 08/20/2019 7:00 PM

A massive greenhouse lush with tropical plants and slated to house the country’s largest indoor waterfall will fill the dirt and concrete skeleton in the south east corner of Assiniboine Park — but it’s going to take a little longer than expected.

The estimated opening of Canada’s Diversity Gardens has been postponed until 2021 due to roof installation delays, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy announced Tuesday.

"With a unique project of this nature, we do not want to rush it. It needs to be perfect and it will be a masterpiece," APC president and CEO Margaret Redmond told reporters during a media tour of the facilities under construction.

The 35-acre stretch of gardens, which includes a central greenhouse known as The Leaf, was originally scheduled to open in late 2020. However, Redmond said Tuesday the complex installation of the greenhouse’s translucent plastic roof — which will allow for the energy-efficient heating of tropical plants — has proven more time-consuming than initially thought.

It is unclear when exactly the grounds are expected to open during 2021; Redmond said the construction team will have a better idea of the timeframe next spring. "Winter in Winnipeg creates a very specific timeline for us to get that roof in," she added.

Construction crews will have to wait until winter is over to install it, pushing back deadlines for other big projects including installing systems that will work with the roof to maintain a tropical temperature in the building and the planting of flora itself.

Once complete, Canada’s Diversity Gardens will boast five outdoor gardens — the Indigenous Peoples’ Garden, Kitchen Garden, Performance-Sensory Garden, Seasonal Garden and The Grove.

The Leaf building will house tropical and mediterranean biomes filled with plants and a pond, in addition to a canopy walkway, butterfly garden and six-storey-high waterfall. There will also be a restaurant, banquet hall and classrooms for educational programming inside the 6,000-square-metre building.

Its horticulture space will be about five times that of the old conservatory and twice as tall as its highest point — making it "a world-class tourist destination," Redmond said.

Our provincial, city and national tourism entities are over the moon about this as an asset, not just for Winnipeg, but for Canada," she said. "It’s hard to convey the type of boost this can give to a city’s reputation as a tourism destination. More importantly, it’ll be an incredible asset for our community."...







Flora facts:

-300 species in the outdoor gardens
-29,000 outdoor plants
-600 outdoor trees
-350 species of tropical and Mediterranean plants indoors
-16,500 plants inside
-There will be 200 butterfly chrysalis received bi-weekly from Central America

The Leaf greenhouse facts:

-6,000 square metre building footprint enclosed by glass walls and a translucent plastic roof
-A high tower that will transport visitors up to a canopy walkway
-A six-storey waterfall
-The translucent exterior, geo-thermal energy system and earth tubes will heat the building so it maintains a temperature for tropical plants
-The building is expected to have a 30- to 50-year life expectancy while requiring minimal maintenance

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/lo...557221962.html



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