London-based Feilden Fowles, J&L Gibbons, and the Natural History Museum won a Holcim Foundation Award in 2023 for a landscape architect project transforming the world famous historic site’s gardens to increase biodiversity and accessibility. The project aims to improve scientific research and best-practice outdoor nature learning while responding to the urgent need to re-engage people with the natural world and urban wildlife in London and beyond.
Edmund Fowles, founding director of the architectural firm Feilden Fowles, says part of his mission is to engage the public with nature through his team's work on the project’s Nature Activity Centre supported by AWS, which was constructed sustainably using timber and stone.
“We’ve been promoting a philosophy of low-tech architecture over the last few years, and I think this project perfectly embodies those values,” he says, of the two main buildings his firm was responsible for - the Activity Centre and a soon-to-be-opened cafe on the site.
“We’ve been promoting a philosophy of low-tech architecture over the last few years, and I think this project perfectly embodies those values”
The Nature Activity Centre's architecture features extended eaves that collect rainwater for reuse in the surrounding landscape, serving as a practical water conservation demonstration. Fowles says the building’s unique design was created to educate and inspire those visiting the gardens.
“We wanted to use the buildings as learning tools in themselves. So both using a palette of natural materials and explaining the story of water recycling and water reuse,” he explains.
From a landscape design perspective, the Urban Nature Project reimagines the Natural History Museum’s two-hectare Gardens of London to create immersive, educational experiences through geology, botany, and interpretive exhibits.
“It’s just a fantastic urban landscape,” says Keith Jennings, Director of Estates, Projects, and Master Planning at the Natural History Museum. He adds that the project tells the story of “Deep Time” with a garden timeline where every footstep represents 5 million years, allowing visitors to grasp the vastness of Earth’s geological history.
Jennings also notes how the Urban Nature Project transforms underutilized spaces into thriving ecosystems, highlighting the importance of preserving urban habitats. “We set out a vision of a hopeful future where, if we do the right thing now, we will adapt, survive, and the planet will thrive.”
“It’s just a fantastic urban landscape”
For Neil Davidson, founder and partner at London-based landscape architecture firm J&L Gibbons, receiving a Holcim Foundation Award during the project's construction provided all parties with a much-needed boost. He notes that the Award validated their unconventional approach and instilled confidence in their vision for the project.
“It was a perfect moment for the project, giving everyone a lift because construction projects can be long and quite tiring,” he explains. “It gave us all confidence that what we’re doing goes beyond our little bubble, starting to excite people about its potential.”
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