Kew Gardens

A Visit to Kew Gardens in late autumn.  The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is situated in London just north of Richmond Park, it is most importantly a scientific instituition. Huge collections of plants, preserved and living along with botanical information has formed Kew into a centrepoint for knowledge within the plant world.

Prunus Taihaku, Great White Cherry Tree

The Sackler Crossing designed by John Pawson, See my previous Post on John Pawson for more info on this design.

Sorbus Commixa, Japanese Rowan Tree

Larix Kaempferi, Japanese Larch

Avenue of Larches, this stunning golden yellow together with the sunlight from the side was a beautiful sight.

The Xstrata Treetop Walkway, It was designed by Marks Barfield Architects, who also designed the London Eye.  This is an 18 metre high structure, with a footpath the encircles a canopy of trees for 200m. The woodland this walkway cuts through consists of Lime, Sweet Chestnut and Oak trees. Cortens steel has been used with great strength, a material that blends well with a natural environment, each complementing one another. Creating the opportunity for visitors to go up to the canopy to be able to see into the tree enables one to understand the habitats that exist and get much closer to nature. The structure has a powerful dominance within this landscape however from ground level it is not an interference to the beauty that surrounds. On a critical note I feel the design would have been more intriguing to experience if it crossed a more diverse topography across the ground, running for longer throughout a variety of woodland types would have been exciting to experience.

Something that is particularly enjoyable throughout this design is the attention given to the joints. Elegant details such as this complete the experience of such a structure.

This video shows some of the making of the Xstrata walkway and how they altered the existing surrounding to suit it. Video sourced from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP5gprVe0nM&feature=player_embedded