Description
Many cities, especially those in cold climates and with large European populations, have built municipal conservatories to display tropical plants and hold flower displays. This type of conservatory was popular in the early nineteenth century, and by the end of the century people were also giving them a social use (e.g., tea parties). Conservatory architecture varies from typical Victorian glasshouses to modern styles, such as geodesic domes. Many were large and impressive structures and are included in the list below.
In the UK the legal definition of a conservatory is a building that has at least 50% of its side wall area glazed and at least 75% of its roof glazed with translucent materials, either polycarbonate sheeting or glass. Today, the terms sunroom, solarium and conservatory are used interchangeably by the public, but in general the term conservatory and particularly English conservatory evoke the image of an ornate structure, echoing the traditions of that Victorian era of conservatory building.
These beautiful structures have been designed and built around the world, in private gardens, parks, and botanical institutions. Smaller garden conservatories have become popular as places which are part-greenhouses, for conserving plants, and part-recreational, as a solarium or sunroom. They are often used as an extra room rather than for horticulture.
Residential conservatories can be constructed of hardwoods such as Jatoba, Teak, Mahogany, Western Red Cedar and Sapele. Highly detailed and more expensive than sunrooms, which are mainly constructed from either aluminum or pvc, the true conservatory offers more detailing and design than a simple sunroom.
Read more about this topic: Conservatory (greenhouse)
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