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Greenhouse Gains Rollins’ new rooftop greenhouse is a technological masterpiece, with more than 800 plant species and climatecontrolled rooms designed for student and faculty research. Perched atop the Bush Science Center like an airy, steel-beamed architectural marvel from a bygone world’s fair, Rollins’ new rooftop greenhouse is a splendid sight to behold. But exterior beauty only tells half the story. Step inside this fully automated, climatecontrolled environment and you’ll find a botanical wonderland of 800-plus plant species—from orchids and herbs to the famously odd corpse plant that just a few years ago landed Rollins a spot in Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Completed in September, the rooftop greenhouse is a marked upgrade from its onground predecessor built in 1983 on the shores of Lake Virginia. Now students and professors just have to walk down the hall to gather their objects of inquiry for lessons spanning everything from mitosis to photosynthesis. “Having the greenhouse as part of the Bush Science Center really complements our educational goals,” says Paul Stephenson, associate professor of biology. “It’s a great step forward for the biology department, and we’re thrilled to have it.” Featuring four distinct areas—the headhouse, teaching collection room, faculty research room, and student research room—as well as state-of-theart technology and reverse osmosis water filtration, the rooftop greenhouse is literally taking science at Rollins to the next level. The third floor, to be exact. “They went top of the line here,” says Alan Chryst ’93, Rollins’ greenhouse manager since 1998. “It’s a wonderful utilization of space, a true extension of the labs.” 12 | Summer 2021
A seemingly ordinary, plantfree room, the headhouse is actually of great importance, providing access to electricity, sinks, storage, and counter space for pot washing, repotting, and general maintenance. It’s also the office of work-study student Lia Potter ’22, an environmental studies major. “Working here is like being in a tropical rainforest,” she says.
