Welcome Building, RHS Wisley

The Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley in Surrey, receives thousands of visitors every year. So, the design for the new £20 Million Welcome Building by KSS architects had to be both inviting and robust.

Officially opened in June 2019 by gardener and television personality Alan Titchmarsh, it features a new shop, garden centre, 100 seat table-service restaurant and café with both indoor and outdoor seating. Cleverly designed around an open-air ‘village square’, it also provides an attractive outdoor space that can be used for special RHS events.

The light and airy design of the new building has transformed the entrance to the garden, putting design, plants and horticulture at the forefront for visitors to enjoy. Created using Senior’s slim profile thermally-enhanced SF52 aluminium curtain walling system, the glazed facades flood the interior space with natural light and perfectly frame views of the surrounding gardens.

To ensure robustness as well as safe and secure access, Senior’s high performance SPW501 aluminium commercial doors were integrated with the curtain wall whilst thermally-broken SPW600 aluminium casement windows were used throughout provide versatile ventilation.

The design also features a carefully selected palette of materials including timber cladding to complement the natural beauty of the garden.  To enhance the overall natural feel of the building still further, Senior’s aluminium frames were powder coated in grey at the company’s state of art facility in South Yorkshire.