A 33,000-square-foot complex will open in April 2011 at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden—the Wyatt Visitors Pavilion Complex. The building is being constructed to LEED standards (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of green buildings).
The centerpiece will be the Orangery, with tall arching windows under a 52-foot cupola. From the room, attendees will have views of a cypress pond, butterfly garden, and arbor. The Orangery can host 400 banquet-style and 1,000 for a receptions. A Grand Hall, which connects the entry pavilion to the Orangery, is a multi-function area that can be used as meeting space, seating 120 classroom-style and 160 banquet-style. An open plaza behind the building can be also used for special events or tented to increase capacity at the complex.