Chelsea Flower Show Pavilion

A close collaboration between design, horticulture and engineering disciplines created this showpiece for the 2002 Chelsea Flower Show. The pavilion and garden serve to highlight global water shortages and the potential for improved conservation practice.

Client: Beth and Charles Miller 
Construction Value: £250,000 including garden
Completion: 2002
Location: London

Awards:
2002 Royal Horticultural Society: Silver Medal
A structure with a message

This visually exciting structure conveys a message to audiences about the potential for water recycling and conservation.

The pavilion features an innovative, folded glass and plywood roof supported on tree-like steel columns. The structure was assembled quickly using prefabricated components and is demountable for future use.

“In recent years we have been faced with environmental issues on a daily basis. This striking roof structure has been used to bring awareness of global water shortages and sustainable development”

Olga Popovic Larsen, Conceptual Structural Design: Bridging the Gap Between Architects and Engineers
Plywood Roof
Glazed Roof
Experience

As visitors perch on straw bale furniture, rainwater collected by the pavilion roof flows through water rills into reed beds for filtration, demonstrating how water recycling could feature in any garden setting.

 

Photos by Paul Smoothy