Client
Promega
Size
1,700 sqm
Local Authority
Test Valley Borough Council
Sectors
Education & Community
Key Project Information
- New, flagship office headquarters, containing office space, conference facility, warehouse, workshop, leisure facilities, set within beautiful gardens
- RIBA South Award Winner 2021
We love how elegant it looks, and how it attracts so many bees, hoverflies, dragonflies and other insects to it. People love sitting on the benches and just taking in the garden in peace and quiet.
The gardens are great – there is so much interest and variety in the planting and something is in flower at almost all times. The picnic area set in wildflower meadow and surrounded by fruit trees makes such a relaxing lunch area!
Rob Holmes, Facilities Manager – Promega
Our client wanted to create a series of different outdoor ‘rooms’ to provide employees with a range of outdoor experiences and spaces, with a strong connection to nature, from both looking out from the building and within the gardens themselves.
We worked closely with the client team to understand the different variety of spaces, uses, users and experiences that they were looking for, and developed the concept of a series of garden spaces from a central garden space, to smaller more intimate spaces, all of which offered you a journey through the gardens.
We designed a series of garden ‘rooms’, which focused around a central garden space which was framed on 2 sides by the new building. This space created a social area for the users, connecting to the indoor dining space, with curving low seating walls, undulating lawns framed by swathes of planting and trees. A key aim was to provide a beautiful garden space that offered a strong connection to nature from within the building.
A stunning water feature and a copper tree, was set within the central gardens, visible from the entrance lobby and instantly providing a connection to the gardens upon arrival.
The central garden space leads off to a number of smaller spaces, including a yoga garden set amongst sensory planting, wetland garden with bridge and sculptural Corten archway, and wildflower meadow picnic area.
The arrival experience for the new building was also a key part of the design, with key design principles from the garden space being referenced, through curving walls, and strong use of planting.
RIBA said “the views towards the garden and beyond are successful and the landscaping scheme is worthy of praise. The garden is better than in most homes, complete with a dedicated yoga space. It feels pruned and pristine…”
Project Gallery
