London Design Festival comes to IQL – Saturday 12th September

Reminiscent of a Victorian glasshouse, The Hothouse is a Landmark Project for London Design Festival 2020, created by architecture practice Studio Weave, and hosted by the International Quarter
London (IQL). The installation will be in situ for a year and provides a controlled habitat for cultivating plants that would not ordinarily grow within the UK’s climate.

IQL and the surrounding area has a rich tradition for growing under glass and was historically once dominated by a 20-mile stretch of greenhouses along the Lee Valley corridor. In the 1930s, there were more than 1,300 acres of greenhouses facilitating the production of ornamental plants and flowers, and exotic fruits at the time such as grapes and cucumbers.

Garden Designer Tom Massey has collaborated with Studio Weave to develop a concept for the planting scheme within The Hothouse. This includes an array of productive plants from all over the world that
would struggle in the UK’s current climate, including avocado, mango, pomegranate and citrus trees. 

Scientists predict that if the current rate of climate change continues to accelerate, all of these crops could be grown outside in the UK by 2050 – highlighting the reality of a rapidly changing climate.

THE HOTHOUSE by STUDIO WEAVE, will be open to public from 12 SEPTEMBER 2020 – 2021.

SUPPORTED BY: Lendlease, IQL and London Continental Railways (LCR).

FURTHER SUPPORT FROM: Arup (engineering), Tom Massey (horticulture design), Hortus Loci (plant nursery partner), Cake Industries (fabricator), and Amorim (material).

Come down, snap some photos and let us know what you think, by tagging #THEHOTHOUSE 

IQL Stratford has plenty to offer this September, so be sure to come down & check it out!
(Don’t forget, the closing ceremony for London Mural Festival will be on the weekend of 3rd - 4th October, so if you’re planning a trip down, be sure to check the dates with what’s open and happening in the area!).