The Times Eureka Garden 2011

Designed by Marcus Barnett for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011, The Times Eureka Garden was created for The Times in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The garden celebrated the relationship between plants, science and human life, reflecting the work of Eureka, The Times' monthly science magazine.

The design was inspired by the microscopic cellular structures found within plants. At the rear of the garden, a striking pavilion represented the skeleton of a leaf folded into a cube. From this structure, leaf-like "capillaries" extended into the garden and continued vertically across the boundary hedges, connecting the architecture to the wider landscape.

Marcus Barnett commissioned NEX Architecture to design the pavilion, with structural engineering by Buro Happold. Its form was developed using computer algorithms that imitated natural patterns of growth, allowing visitors to experience biological structures at an unfamiliar architectural scale.

The pavilion's primary structure was made from sustainably sourced spruce timber. Large timber "capillaries" formed its supporting skeleton, while secondary timber cassettes held a cladding of recycled-plastic "cells". These translucent cells framed views into the garden and allowed the pavilion to glow when illuminated from within.

The glass-panelled roof collected rainwater, which travelled down through the capillary-like channels in the pavilion walls and into the ground. The pavilion stood on a spruce timber raft weighted with sand, allowing it to be installed without leaving permanent foundations in the ground.

The planting continued the scientific theme. Every species was selected not only for its appearance, but also for the practical value it offered to humankind through food, medicine, timber or industry. Fennel represented culinary use, geraniums were included for their medicinal associations, and Scots pine demonstrated the value of plants as sources of timber and turpentine.

Height and depth were created through Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Himalayan birch (Betula utilis 'Doorenbos'). Their trunks and canopies partially obscured views across the garden, creating layers of planting and making the space appear deeper than its physical boundaries.

Beneath the trees, ornamental thistles, fennel, geraniums, loosestrife and yarrow created a soft and naturalistic planting composition. This loose planting contrasted with the pavilion's complex geometry and the more precisely controlled lines of the hedges and water features.

At night, the garden took on a second life. Light glowing from inside the pavilion revealed its cellular structure and was reflected in the simple, still pools beneath it. Uplighting picked out the surrounding planting and boundary hedges, transforming the garden into an atmospheric study of light, water and biological form.

Following the Chelsea Flower Show, the pavilion and garden were dismantled and relocated to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where they were displayed against the historic landscape of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.