University of Minnesota – Tashjian Bee Discovery and Pollinator Center

Overall Project Size: 
6,700 Square Feet (6 Acres of site improvements)

Client: 
University of Minnesota

Architect: 
MSR

Loeffler Role: 
Construction Manager At Risk

Project Spec Sheet:
UMN Bee Discovery Center (2,098 KB)

Erected on the eastern campus of the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, this new facility showcases the ecological and agricultural importance of bees in the environment. The Tashjian Bee Pollination Center is a public education facility that provides informal and formal year-round learning opportunities about the lives of bees and also aids the research efforts of the College of Food Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences at the University.

At 6,700 SF, the building contains a few notable spaces including a central exhibit area, teaching and flexible gathering areas, a honey house for extraction and a pollinator garden with outdoor exhibition areas. Environmentally conscious building components such as daylighting, high performance insulation, energy recovery HVAC, and geothermal ground source are some of the systems included in this award winning structure that meets the National B3 Sustainability Standards as well as the State of Minnesota Sustainable Building 2030 requirements.