Landmark transformation opens to the public September 12th
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2026
VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia – Dills Architects is pleased to share that Norfolk Botanical Garden’s Garden of Tomorrow — a bold new chapter that expands the conservation and education mission of one of the nation’s leading botanical gardens — will open to the public on September 12, 2026.
The Garden of Tomorrow advances Norfolk Botanical Garden’s leadership in ecological stewardship, conservation, and public education. What began as a new boathouse project evolved into an expansive vision supported by more than 3,000 donors who contributed $50 million to the campus transformation. As Designer of Record and leader of the multidisciplinary team, Dills Architects is stewarding the project to help ensure the extraordinary promise of this once-in-a-generation transformation is fully realized.
– Clay Dills, AIA, Principal, Dills Architects
The Garden of Tomorrow is designed to immerse visitors in spaces for discovery, learning, reflection, and engagement with rare and endangered plant life, advancing the Garden’s mission to engender a deeper understanding and appreciation of the living landscape.
– Peter Schmidt, President & CEO, Norfolk Botanical Garden
Cultural institutions of this caliber serve as economic engines as well as community assets. Opening-year projections anticipate over 500,000 visitors and $25 million in annual statewide economic activity, growing toward more than 600,000 visitors and $32 million at maturity. The Garden supports approximately 290 jobs statewide today and 365 at full operation, while attracting new visitors and investment to the Commonwealth.
The Garden of Tomorrow is comprised of:
The Brock Entry Pavilion
This light, open structure establishes a walk-in arrival that removes the threshold between building and landscape, welcoming visitors and inviting them into the Garden. The Pavilion will be home to a new restaurant, The Reeds Bistro,which will feature a garden-inspired menu, as well as a gallery of nature-themed glass art.
The Perry Conservatory
At the heart of the project is the 26,000-square-foot conservatory, a unique two-story structure designed as a living sanctuary. Within its Tropical and Arid Houses, the Garden will protect some of the world’s most threatened and endangered plant species, some with untapped ecological, scientific and potential medicinal value. In addition, it houses CHIHULY: The Perry Collection, one of the nation’s most significant permanent collections of the work of Dale Chihuly.
– Peter Schmidt, President & CEO, Norfolk Botanical Garden
The Brock Parking Garden
A reimagined parking system replaces a conventional stormwater pond with an integrated landscape that manages water through innovative engineered soil cell technology, rain gardens, and permeable paving, —extending the Garden’s ecological mission through everyday use. The result is more parking, more trees, reduced long-term maintenance, and a more resilient landscape on the same footprint.
The Brock Environmental Education Center
A flexible learning environment extends the Garden’s role as a place of learning for all ages, combining classroom, greenhouse, and laboratory functions to support hands-on, science-based study. The purpose-built center expands environmental literacy and STEM learning across Hampton Roads, while helping cultivate the next generation of environmental stewards.
The Kay & Al Abiouness Skywalk
The second-story indoor and outdoor elevated skywalk provides aerial views of the tropical house and leads outdoors to a viewing platform overlooking one of the largest and most beautiful rose gardens on the East Coast.
The Batten Sky Meadow
Located on the rooftop of the Brock Entry Pavilion, this nearly 15,000– square-foot green roof features accessible overhead walkways, native meadow plantings, and stormwater runoff mitigation, offering a visually stunning and environmentally beneficial sanctuary.
Dills Architects worked alongside Norfolk Botanical Garden and a multidisciplinary team of biome, conservatory, construction, landscape, engineering, geotechnical, and water feature specialists to help bring the Garden of Tomorrow to life. To learn more about the project team, visit dillsarchitects.com/garden-of-tomorrow. For more information on the Garden of Tomorrow, visit www.gardenoftomorrow.org.
About Dills Architects
Dills Architects is a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based architecture and urban design practice founded in 1983. As stewards of the possible, Dills Architects discovers and activates the best of people and places, uncovering what communities, landscapes, and institutions can become, then guiding that potential into reality. The firm’s work is concentrated in the public arena, with clients that include municipalities, federal agencies, education institutions, and cultural organizations.
Contact Dills Architects
Meagan Huth
Director of Marketing + Communications
757.496.4926 x713
mhuth@dillsarchitects.com
www.dillsarchitects.com
FAQ
1 | What is Norfolk Botanical Garden’s Garden of Tomorrow?
The Garden of Tomorrow is a landmark transformation at Norfolk Botanical Garden that expands the Garden’s conservation and education mission. Opening to the public on September 12, 2026, the project creates a new visitor experience centered on ecological stewardship, rare plant conservation, public education, art, and immersive garden design.
2 | What was Dills Architects’ role in the Garden of Tomorrow?
Dills Architects served as Designer of Record and leader of the multidisciplinary team for the Garden of Tomorrow. The firm helped steward the project from an initial boathouse concept into a broader vision for how visitors arrive, learn, gather, and experience Norfolk Botanical Garden’s living collections.
3 | What major spaces are included in the Garden of Tomorrow?
The Garden of Tomorrow includes the Brock Entry Pavilion, Perry Conservatory, Brock Parking Garden, Brock Environmental Education Center, Kay & Al Abiouness Skywalk, and Batten Sky Meadow. Together, these spaces support visitor arrival, dining, conservation, education, ecological infrastructure, and elevated views across the Garden.
4 | What is the Perry Conservatory at Norfolk Botanical Garden?
The Perry Conservatory is a 26,000-square-foot, two-story living sanctuary within the Garden of Tomorrow. Its tropical and arid houses will protect some of the world’s most threatened and endangered plant species, while also housing CHIHULY: The Perry Collection, one of the nation’s significant permanent collections of Dale Chihuly’s work.
5 | How does the Garden of Tomorrow support conservation and education?
The Garden of Tomorrow supports conservation and education through rare and endangered plant protection, immersive learning environments, hands-on science-based study, ecological infrastructure, and expanded ways for visitors to engage with the living landscape. Features such as the Brock Environmental Education Center, Perry Conservatory, Brock Parking Garden, and Batten Sky Meadow help connect public access with environmental learning and stewardship.