This futuristic botanic gardens build is a decade late, and an 'absolute nightmare'

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Tropical conservatory running years late and millions over budget.

Construction of a landmark "floating cube" tropical conservatory at the Australian National Botanic Gardens is running a decade late and the budget has tripled, with nearly $19 million poured into design and construction.

As the build drags on, staff in other parts of the gardens have resorted to using extended hoses and watering cans to keep rare and endangered plants alive after a major failure in an automated irrigation system.

People with close links to the botanic gardens, including former staff, have described the Ian Potter National Conservatory project as a "disaster", draining resources away from other areas of the gardens and its internationally significant live plant collection.

"The conservatory is an absolute nightmare," a former staff member said.

Parks Australia, the federal government agency that operates the botanic gardens, announced in November 2025 that the conservatory was expected to open in late 2026.

But The Canberra Times can reveal that this has now been pushed back another year to late 2027.

People who spoke on the condition of anonymity said problems with the automated irrigation system that uses water from Lake Burley Griffin were symptomatic of core botanic gardens operations being neglected while the conservatory was prioritised.

Several sources said the reallocation of staff to look after tropical plants acquired for the conservatory had left teams under-resourced and overworked.

The inviting vision painted when the conservatory was announced in 2016 included visitors stepping out of a cold or rainy Canberra day at the Australian National Botanic Gardens into the warmth of a tropical rainforest.

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