Ecosystem project showcases nature and engineering
Barr worked with artist Christine Baeulmer to design and build a self-contained bog atop an entrance canopy of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Creating and sustaining a moisture-loving plant community in the desert-like conditions on a roof posed challenges related to water sources, circulation, evaporation rates, and pH balance. To keep the plants in two inches of water, we designed a cistern to collect the building’s stormwater runoff and recirculate it to the bog using a solar pump, with city water as a backup. Funded by a grant from the McKnight Foundation, the bog showcases the team’s ability to establish a natural ecosystem in an unnatural urban environment, and the results exceeded everyone’s expectations. The project began as a temporary art exhibit, but became a permanent installation.