THE HUG
A SENSITIVE AND EMBRACING OUTDOOR SHELTER AS PART OF THE DOWN’S SYNDROME SCOTLAND GARDEN FOR THE RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW
LOCATION
LONDON
CLIENT
BURTON HALL GARDEN DESIGN
DATE
2025
MATERIALS
LARCH
SERVICES
Project management & Consultancy / Construction Design / Machining / Fabrication / Finishing / Installation
We were given the brief to design a building that represented an embrace. Empathy, sensitivity and compassion are all incredible qualities that people with Down’s syndrome have in abundance and this building perfectly encapsulates that. It has now become affectionately known as “the hug”.
Using homegrown larch, the building sits within a green, calm area of the garden, which accentuates the sensitive expression of the building.
In the garden’s relocation site at Watch US Grow in Palacerigg Country Park, North Lanarkshire, the building will provide a welcome opportunity for people to sit within the calm surroundings and reflect.
This project was made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of Project Giving Back, a grant-making charity that supports gardens for good causes at RHS Chelsea before relocating them to sites across the UK.
We were also very fortunate to be working with other Scottish based makers and creatives Angie Lewin, Frances Priest Studio, and Laurence McIntosh.
