Project description
Snug Architects has recently completed phase 1 of a landscape led design for a private arboretum and associated research buildings for Bartlett Tree Experts. The project seeks to create a beautiful vibrant arboretum which will assist Bartlett Tree Experts in showcasing their skills and passion for trees.
We worked with ward-winning Landscape Architects Harris Bugg Studio to develop a landscape led master-plan for the site. The organisation of the landscape zones has been inspired by tree rings and the internal morphology of a tree. The outer ring along Beech Hill Road involves the planting of a diverse arboretum, the inner ring provides research planting beds and at the centre the existing woodlands are restored. As part of the arboretum a research building will be provided with laboratory, offices and lecture auditorium. The building has been designed to sensitively integrate into the proposed arboretum and landscape. Careful consideration has been given to the form of the proposed building to ensure it sits in harmony with the existing and proposed woodland.
"We have been working with Snug on a major development project for our new site and buildings near Reading, it has consistently been a pleasure to work with everyone at Snug. They have demonstrated professionalism at every stage of the design process and are clearly a highly competent team. We have a team of over 20 consultants, contractors, advisors and Snug Architects have worked flawlessly to keep all the plates spinning and the project moving forward. Crucial for me has been having a team who understands our aims and ethos and a team I can trust to give me good advice and make good decisions at all stages of the design process, this has been the case since well before day one. I can’t recommend Snug Architects highly enough."
Jon Banks, Client Rep
The building’s material palette and site strategy draw inspiration from the structure of a leaf and the sectional form of a tree trunk. Each wing accommodates a distinct function, illustrating Bartlett’s process from field application, through study and laboratory research, to industry presentation and back to practical application.
Each wing is linked by a glazed circulation space that forms a light and transparent spine through the building. This space maintains continuous views between the historic woodland and the new arboretum, ensuring the surrounding landscape remains a constant presence as users move through the building.
The act of circulation therefore becomes an experience of the landscape itself, allowing moments of pause and reflection between the different functions. This principle extends outward into the wider site strategy, where routes, buildings and planting are arranged to strengthen the connection between Bartlett’s work and the living landscape it studies and manages.
“Our Outdoor Classroom... A Thought-provoking living museum... A showcase for a range of species and cultivars...”
Bartlett Tree Experts
Bartlett Arboretum Landscape Plan
The entrance is approached through the existing woodland and forms a threshold into the new arboretum
The building delivers 775m2 of new research facilities for Bartlett Tree Experts new arboretum in Reading. The project will achieve BREEAM Excellent.
The materials pallet echos the tones and colours of the arboretum through the seasons
The project under construction
Completed photography to follow.