The next time Wee Stinky flowers, it will be in a new home.
During its formative years, the Titan arum was lovingly cared for in the old Liberty Hyde Bailey Conservatory on the south side of Plant Science Building. Built by greenhouse architects Lord & Burnham Co. in 1931 for Liberty Hyde Bailey, the first dean of the College of Agriculture and a prominent palm taxonomist, the facility had deteriorated and was closed in 2010. The entire Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium plant collection was moved temporarily to the Kenneth Post Laboratory Greenhouses, where Wee Stinky first flowered in 2012.
The new conservatory, located on the same spot as the old one, is scheduled to be finished in April. The plant collection — used to support engaged learning in the plant sciences — should be returned by early summer.
The structure will feature:
- An internal vestibule/air lock to provide more inviting access from Tower Road.
- Higher sidewalls than the old conservatory to accommodate taller plants.
- Two compartments with beds in the north compartment and in-bed plantings in the south compartment.
- A meandering walkway in the south compartment to simulate an under-canopy forest trail.
- Computerized controls to better manage environmental conditions and conserve energy.
- A fog system to provide humidification and evaporative cooling.
- An automatic moveable shade to eliminate whitewash application in summer and retain heat in winter, reducing heat loss by 30 to 40 percent.
- Hot water heating to replace steam heat for better temperature control and energy savings.
- Larger vents for better cooling without motorized fans to reduce noise in the greenhouse.
