Urban Modern   Country Kids Paradise Rural Retreat   Country Wedding Venue Exhibition Space   Hilltop Hideout

The central theme of this design is inspired by the beautiful form of the oak tree.

The site sits at the edge of oak woodland and one of the most charming elements of the site is a path at the end of the garden drifting off into the woods. This design aims to bring the meandering woodland paths into the site while responding to the brief, which is to provide platforms for outdoor sculpture exhibitions and other smaller more intimate spaces for socialising, seminars and smaller teaching groups.

The structure of the design takes the form of an ancient oak tree. One enters the site via ‘the roots’ and one of the roots assumes the form of an ‘oak leaf’. The exhibition spaces are located in ‘the canopy’ of the oak tree. It is the roots and leaves that are the nerve centres of a tree, playing a functional role for the tree’s survival and the tree’s quest to grow and I draw a correlation between this and ‘the teaching space’ and ‘the routes’ towards the destination – the exhibiting spaces at the end of the garden. Just as the artworks are the end product of an artist’s transition through life, learning, and contemplation so these are on display within the ‘canopy’ of the ‘oak tree’. The canopy is a tree’s plumage, its means of display and the end product of the hard work carried out by its roots and leaves.

My desire for the overall feel of the site is an image of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and of a production that takes place in the enchanting arena of a woodland. This I believe adds a sense of magic and arouses the imagination, awakening childhood memories, all of which should add to the sense of drama of the objects on display and provide an inspirational backdrop for learning.