The design of the Centre for Horticultural Science and Learning for the Royal Horticultural Society RHS at its Gardens in Wisley. The project formed a key part of RHS’s Science Strategy 2015-2019 and the new building represents a significant investment in science facilities at Wisley Gardens.
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The new building forms part of a new visitor destination and include a public engagement space, a multi- purpose events and activity space and cafe as well as research libraries, classrooms, laboratories, a herbarium, staff offices, staff hub and a canteen. An external viewing terrace is provided at roof level.
MBP has provided structural engineering services as part of a competition winning core design team led by Wilkinson Eyre Architects. A feature of the project is that the structural engineering, architecture and building services are integrated into a single collaborative model.
The building is orientated with its longitudinal axis lying in a north-westerly direction - approximately 23.560 degrees off a north-south axis. The accommodation is arranged within a Y-shaped building split into two wings separated by an atrium. The shape is roughly symmetrical about the centre of the atrium with the arms of the Y-shaped structure sweeping out from the stem, towards the north-east and north-west.
The site, spatial organisation and setting respond to the Masterplan and detailed brief developed with RHS Wisley. It has a gross internal area, including the roof terrace, of circa 5,500m2. Structure is a hybrid construction of a steel frame with reinforced concrete cores and walls for stability. Floor plates are designed to give the client flexibility in the future use of the space. Soffits are exposed to enable the thermal capacity of the structure to be used to moderate energy demands.
Structural systems have been chosen to aid rapid site assembly. Extensive computer modelling was used for modelling behaviour and to enable efficient structural solutions.
