Palm House at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

The Palm House project provides a full net zero carbon refurbishment of the Grade I listed Palm House and Grade II listed Waterlily House, both of which sit within an UNESCO World Heritage site. The project will support Kew’s sustainability strategy and their desire to become climate positive by 2030.

We have developed a retrofit strategy that includes low-energy solutions for heating and efficient water conservation systems to serve the glasshouses sustainably. These provide the foundations for networks which can be rolled out across the site to further decarbonise Kew’s estate. At the same time, we have carried out an in-depth assessment of glasshouse performance to create an appropriate benchmark and set challenging design targets for the buildings.

Robin Pritchett, Head of Building Performance UK, said, “Cundall has worked closely with the client and wider design team to create a tailored plan of interventions for the glasshouse that is respectful of the building’s heritage, incorporates low-carbon technologies and maintains conditions for Kew’s irreplaceable collection of plants.”