A close-up view of architectural elements showing a wooden slatted ceiling and a curved concrete wall with horizontal lines.

San Antonio Botanical Garden Welcome Center

Growing a Garden for New Generations

The San Antonio Botanical Garden has long been a place that connects people with the plant world and demonstrates the importance of plants in our lives. In the first phase of the Garden’s improvement project, a new entry was developed, including a Welcome & Discovery Center. These new structures and associated gardens reposition the facility as a regionally significant destination that promotes environmental stewardship and a strong educational message. The design exemplifies the seamless integration between structure and landscape and blurs conventional boundaries.

Architectural site plan and section view of a facility, displaying layout and labeled areas including Arrival Plaza, Culinary Garden, Production Hub, Pop-up Market, and Linear Orchard Observatory.

Two people standing in front of a small, illuminated kiosk under a wooden overhang in a botanical garden setting with trees and glass pyramid structures in the background.

A modern building with an overhanging roof and green ivy walls. People are walking on the pathway in front, with landscaping and trees on either side.

An outdoor garden area with a modern wooden canopy, lush greenery, and visitors walking and resting on benches.

A woman and two children walk past a modern building with a green vine-covered facade and large windows.

A modern visitor center with wooden panel walls features informational displays about garden roots and adventure planning. Two people walk outside on a paved path. A green landscape is visible in the background.

Outdoor bar with string lights, several people standing or sitting around high tables under a covered patio. Greenery and empty tables with chairs in foreground.

San Antonio Botanical Garden Event Center

Phase II

The second phase of the Garden’s improvement project weaves a new Event Center & Event Lawn into the existing campus. Sited between three distinct landscape zones, the Event Center opens to the landscape through large windows of operable glass walls. The multi-use space makes possible an array of configurations under its soaring ceiling and strategically injects new uses and experiences without compromising the striking botanical moments that visitors have come to love over the Garden’s history.