Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Davies Alpine House
Alpines require plenty of light and cool, constantly moving air, so WilkinsonEyre designed a glasshouse conceived as two back-to-back arches, which create a stack effect to draw warm air out of the building. Below ground level, air is pushed into a concrete labyrinth for cooling, and then re-circulated around the perimeter via a series of displacement pipes. Further environmental control is provided by a unique shading solution based on a fan-like form similar to a peacock’s tail.
The environmental system for the Alpine House was developed in collaboration with engineers Atelier Ten. The team based the system on the natural cooling strategy used in termite nests, where the ants open or block tunnels to control fresh air flow into the nest while hot air is drawn out through flues in the structure as the wind blows.