This project has seen the adaptation of a plant nursery into a 23-hectare horticultural park with a visitors centre, classrooms, a hall and retail and food outlets integrated on two levels beneath a lightweight steel canopy. Inspired by the idea of a sheltering tree, the architecture is designed to provide a neutral frame for the landscape, its grid of steel columns coloured black so as not to distract from the views. Although its scale is based on the surrounding trees, it can accommodate large gatherings, providing a community space that is partly self-funded by private functions but remains free to the public, raising horticultural awareness.

Source:

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2011.