A temple of plants where visitors immerse in a luminous, lush landscape
Client
Flower Council of Holland
Programme
Temporary pavilion
Project Lead
Marco Vanucci, Stella Salta
Year
2021
Introduction
DaeWha Kang Design has created the Houseplant Hideout, an immersive temple to plants in the heart of London. Conceived by The Joy of Plants (thejoyofplants.co.uk), the project celebrates the regenerating power of biophilic design. Visitors are invited to enter the structure, where they discover a luminous, lush landscape of plants. Deeper within the experience, soundscapes and lightscapes bring the experience to life.
Through a triangular portal, the visitor makes a first encounter with the plants inside. The interior is a kaleidoscope made of two-way mirror, creating an infinity of plants speckled with myriad circular apertures that bring daylight inside. A gentle turn in the revolving chair leaves the outside world behind and creates full immersion in the experience.
The client’s aim was to celebrate the power of houseplants to transform the home and home office. The 2.6 metre square space is filled with plants that are easily accessible for ordinary people to bring into their own homes. The garden designer and botanist James Wong created a concept mimicking plant growth in the wild, with a tall canopy tier of Kentia palms arching over colonies of ferns and shrubs. With trailing ivy and moss occupying the ground, the interior becomes a layered, lush landscape for exploration.
The interaction design team created a sound and lightscape to give voice and expression to the plants. With a rotary encoder linked to the chair, the entire installation comes to life as the visitor turns to explore different parts of the landscape. At the first turn, a bell strikes, marking the beginning of the experience. The sound of birdsong gives way to a more structured musical soundscape, accompanied by a plant meditation guide.
This project continues the biophilic design research of DaeWha Kang Design. Natural structures are considered as tectonic design elements, and architectural structures merge and dissolve into a world of landscape. The use of two-way mirror and circular portals creates a visual play that aims for a feeling of transcendence but also childlike joy.
The Houseplant Hideout has now been relocated to its permanent home at St Mary’s Secret Garden, Hackney, where it will be used for ecotherapy with those combating isolation or mental health issues.
Client
The Flower Council of Holland
Location
London, United Kingdom
Year
2021
Programme
Temporary Pavilion
Size
2.6m x 2.6m x 5.3m
Status
Completed
Project Lead
Marco Vanucci (Design Stage), Stella Salta (Execution Stage)
Design Team
DaeWha Kang, Marco Vanucci, Stella Salta, Michal Wojtkiewicz
Botanist
James Wong
Interaction design and AV
Francesco Anselmo, Ben Hussey, Viktoras Cesnulevicius
Music
Meydän
Plant Meditation Guide:
Holly Warton
Specialist Fabricator
Nicholas Alexander
Construction team
Nick Runeckles, Jacob Hatcher, Ryan Hillier, Mick Davis
Media and Project Managment
Jo Chappel, Amelia-Eve Warden, Claudia Hockey, Annabel Cartwright, Rob Thorogood, Dan Wong
Special Thanks
The Joy of Plants (Thejoyofplants.co.uk), Monique Kemperman, Chanel de Kock
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