Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture firm has unveiled images of its strategic master plan for Texas' San Antonio Botanical Garden, in the United States. The plan is designed to guide the future of this public landscape, reflecting long-term objectives focused on accessibility, conservation, and horticultural education. The vision includes a new horticultural campus and a public greenhouse for the site, designed by SO-IL, an architectural design firm based in New York whose 450 Warren housing project in Brooklyn was selected by ArchDaily's audience as the Building of the Year 2024 in the Housing category. The master plan aims at a more ecologically sustainable environment while enhancing the visitor experience across the garden's 38-acre landscape.
The San Antonio Botanical Garden opened in 1980 and attracts nearly 400,000 visitors annually, offering over 900 educational programs each year. Donations supported the expansion of the Botanical Garden by adding eight acres in 2017, giving it a total of 38 acres (around 15 hectares) of land to be transformed in stages following the recently announced master plan. According to Reed Hilderbrand, a key focus of the design is expanding access to the Garden with new programs aimed at citizens of diverse economic and social backgrounds and of all ages, abilities, and cultures.
The new vision for the Garden includes an immersive pollinator garden and meadow, a revitalized Texas Native Trail, and a horticultural campus with a public greenhouse designed by architect Florian Idenburg of SO-IL. Home to over 100 endangered and rare species, the San Antonio Botanical Garden plans to be positioned as a key site for conservation. As Beka Sturges of Reed Hilderbrand describes it, the project marks "a future centered on conservation." Rooted in both community input and environmental stewardship, the design aims to serve both residents and visitors from beyond San Antonio.
The firm's design prioritizes pedestrian circulation within the Garden, reworking often disjointed and difficult-to-navigate pathways. The new master plan contemplates continuous movement and inclusive infrastructure, with moments of pause and comfort framed by ribbons of gardens. Paths will vary in width and material to improve navigation, and graded routes will eliminate stairs, ensuring accessibility for all visitors. Shade structures, canopy trees, and rest stations will be strategically placed to increase visitor comfort, particularly in the midday heat. The introduction of new water features is also planned to highlight the site's hydrological history and provide passive cooling.
In other project news, Reed Hilderbrand is collaborating with Utile to reimagine Boston City Hall and its plaza as a more accessible, functional, and engaging civic space. SO-IL has also worked on the transformation of American historic buildings while developing new housing typologies, compiled in their latest book, In Depth: Urban Domesticities Today, which explores the evolving concept of home in contemporary urban contexts. In terms of landscape and garden design, recent news include major initiatives such as MVRDV's design for the transformation of Roosendaal in the Netherlands, RIOS and Field Operations' redevelopment of a parking site in Chicago, and a new Carbon-Garden in London designed by Mizzi Studio to demonstrate nature-based solutions for carbon sequestration.
