The Hothouse

Studio Weave were invited to submit proposals for a temporary pavilion on a site in the centre of the new IQL neighbourhood. Prior to its development, the area was once dominated by a 20-mile stretch of greenhouses along the Lea Valley corridor. In the early 2oth century, 1,300 acres of greenhouses facilitated the production of ornamental plants and flowers, and exotic fruits at the time such as grapes and cucumbers. Our proposal conceived a contemporary hothouse utilising current lightweight and demountable construction methodologies.

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The Hothouse supports an edible jungle of exotic and unusual species – selected to highlight that if the current acceleration of climate change continues, all of these crops could be grown outside in the UK by 2050. Garden Designer Tom Massey collaborated with Studio Weave to develop a concept for the planting scheme, that included: guava, orange, gourd, chia seed, avocado, pomegranate, quinoa, mango, sweet potato, lemon, sugarcane, chickpea, loquat and pineapple. - - -