Client: Kew Gardens

Date: 2022

Team: AU/Studio

Role: Director

Design and CGI by AU/Studio

AU/Studio’s proposal for the competition is called ‘Behave! Beehive’. It is an inclusive space at the heart of Kew Gardens: a tree house which consists of an elegantly curved continuous ramp around the black pine, and a viewing platform at its end.

The ramp has a helix shape and a gradient of 1/15, allowing visitors (including people with  impairments) to access to the viewing platform.
The viewing platform sits at 4.3 m from ground level and has a sitting area at its furthest end.
 
The structure is made of honeycomb shaped elements, chosen for their quality of being structurally efficient. The honeycomb structure is made from CLT elements which are mechanically fixed together to create the modular structure of the ramp.

The ramp’s vertical panels have a cargo net mesh infill for fall protection, with a gradient colour that changes from green to red as the ramp swings up.