Built: 1994 Designed by: George Pierce - Abel B. Pierce and Staub, and Rather and Howze Type: Museum Stories: 2 Maximum Height: 70 feet / 21 meters Location: 1 Hermann Circle Drive, Houston, United States
Building Rating 80% of readers like the Cockrell Butterfly Center.
Advertisement
M ost butterfly houses look the same -- some sort of pyramid, dome, or cylinder to maximize the amount of light coming in and thus reduce heating bills. This one is different in that it encompasses all three styles simultaneously in order to achieve a balance. Houston's weather much of the year is already ideal for many butterflies, so additional heating is only necessary a few months of the year. And in the summer, it is actually too hot for most species of butterflies to live outside. So this building makes the compromise between letting in enough sun to keep the transplanted rain forest alive, and keeping out enough heat to allow the butterflies to live.
