Botanical Discovery Garden, Jerusalem

The purpose of a new “Discovery Garden” for children at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens is to attract more visitors to the site and to allow a younger audience to learn about botany through experimentation and personal experience. The design challenge was to integrate the Discovery Garden within the existing botanical garden – an established park with a very distinct character and unique qualities.
The strategy chosen was to weave the exhibitions and contents along a "discovery path" that intersects with the Garden’s existing trail system and revives certain corners of the gardens as places for exhibits and activities. The Discovery path will be created from cast concrete- intentionally distinct from the existing garden trails- inviting visitors who meander in the gardens to embark on a different kind of adventure.