-
The Hothouse by Studio Weave
London Design Festival 2020
Client: Lendlease
Engineering: Arup
Horticulture: Tom Massey Studio
Fabrication & Build: Cake Industries
Photography: Ed Reeve
Scope: Project Management
London-based architecture practice Studio Weave, supported by Lendlease and LCR, created The Hothouse, a large-scale installation located at International Quarter London (IQL).
The structure of The Hothouse is reminiscent of a Victorian glasshouse and provides a controlled habitat for cultivating plants that would not ordinarily grow within the UK’s climate.
The environment of The Hothouse can be regulated and adapted to suit the plants within. Garden Designer Tom Massey collaborated with Studio Weave to develop a concept for the planting scheme that includes a vast array of productive plants from all over the world: an edible jungle of exotic and unusual species.
The crops grown include guava, orange, gourd, chia seed, avocado, pomegranate, quinoa, mango, sweet potato, lemon, sugarcane, chickpea, loquat and pineapple. Scientists predict that if the current rate of climate change continues to accelerate, all of these crops could potentially be grown outside in the UK by 2050 – highlighting the reality of a rapidly changing climate.
The Hothouse will be in situ for a year, displaying the variance and evolution of plants across all seasons – but also seeking to educate and inspire. The installation seeks to demonstrate the effects of climate change, whilst also celebrating the beauty of plants and humans’ adaptability, ingenuity and ability to overcome problems and create safe and stable growing environments for plants from all over the world.
