Coastal Maine Botanical Garden

In its expansion, the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (CMBG) is a net-zero water and energy facility striving to be at the forefront of sustainable botanical garden design.

In a collaborative effort with Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, Atelier Ten helped CMBG create a strategic masterplan that focuses on sustainability and enhances the guest experience by capitalizing on its unique location. Various sustainability strategies were identified which decreased energy use and reduce overall carbon emissions in the full operation of the botanical gardens. Close attention was paid to the surrounding landscape, which resulted in the smart application of horticulture throughout the garden which maintains soil health and creates comfortable outdoor microclimates. Water is protected as a valuable resource through intensive conservation and reuse cycles on-site. Furthermore, careful material selection and construction processes reduced the discomfort levels in occupied spaces and the overall carbon impact on a local and global scale. In order to further reach its net zero water and energy goals, our team evaluated and created an efficient transportation infrastructure that enables low-carbon and net-carbon movement through the site and supports pedestrian activity.