City wildlife is declining due to high levels of traffic and changes in land use. The Herbarium aims to engage residents of Laurieston with Glasgow's biodiversity, educating on its importance and to protect and encourage plant and wildlife species in the city. The building aims to be a pocket of green within the city, a space dedicated to biodiversity and public interaction with it. 

The Herbarium is centered around education and research, featuring a series of plant laboratories, a wildlife library and classroom. The workshop and multiuse hall create informal learning spaces for use by local youth and school groups. The Herbarium archive contains dried plant samples from Glasgow to record the city's plant life which residents can contribute to with samples from their gardens and allotments. The archive provides a space for both researchers and visitors to learn more about Glasgow's plant life and how it changes over time.

The roof terraces and green roof encourage insect habitats on the site as well as providing outdoor learning spaces. The garden wall creates a sequence of entrance to the building and is programmed to create an inhabited wall. The wall provides functions within the garden such as housing insect hotels, bat and bee boxes and seating for users to enjoy the garden.