Prime Highlights
- Kew Gardens to shut Palm House and Waterlily House in 2027 for £50m net-zero overhaul.
- Target carbon emissions cut by 90% and energy consumption by more than 50%.
Key Facts
- More than 1,300 tropical species, of which 45 are considered endangered, will be temporarily relocated.
- Project supported in support of Kew’s Climate Positive 2030 strategy.
Key Background
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has launched an enormous and sustainable regeneration of two of its most famous buildings—Palm House and Waterlily House. The £50 million development will start in 2027 and will make the Victorian glasshouses the world’s first net-zero heritage structures. The work will last four or five years.
Originally built in 1848, Palm House has been famous for exhibiting tropical plants and stunning iron-and-glass structure. One of the restoration steps includes substituting over 16,000 discrete glass panes, removal of original ironwork to be restored prior to being repainted to its original white. Century-old gas boilers will be replaced with new air- and water-source heat pumps, respectively.
This green-powered regeneration plan is Kew’s most ambitious to be climate positive by 2030. It will reduce the site’s more than half energy consumption and reduce emissions by as much as 90%, a substantial leap in green design and heritage protection.
Most vulnerable to the process of renovation is temporary relocation of some 1,300 plant specimens. Among them are the world’s oldest potted plant, Encephalartos altensteinii, planted since 1775. Temporary glasshouses on location were set up to accommodate such precious plants to provide care for and shelter them so that no horticultural treasures are lost during the rigorous process of renovation.
State grants, donations, and trusts have funded the scheme, with the added objective of public engagement. New seating spaces, improved accessibility, and new teaching facilities will make sure that when they re-open, these landmark buildings are as beautifully beautiful as ever to future generations in appearance and environmental amenity.
