Thrive, Beech Hill Reading

The Practice won the design competition for a new building to house the headquarters for Thrive (formerly known as Horticultural Therapy), a charity assisting to help all disabilities through horticulture.  The design, acknowledging its rural setting, took the form of an arc, centred on a magnificent oak tree in the gardens.  The building mainly comprised two barn-like buildings, linked by the curving entrance and exhibition space.  One barn housed the administration department and the other provided a multi-function resource centre and lecture theatre.  A large roof space within this latter space housed the archives, whilst the entrance gallery was linked to the other roof space, ready for future expansion.

The external works included massive underground water storage to provide irrigation to the adjacent garden centre, also run by the charity.

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  • Client:

    Thrive

  • Location:

    Beech Hill, near Reading

  • Type:

    New office headquarters for a national charity

  • Completed:

    1998