Kew Gardens intends to build new glasshouses will provide temporary homes for plants and move some highly endangered plant species into temporary glasshouses. in order to renovate its iconic Palm House and Waterlily House.
The renovation project at the world-famous botanical site has hit a major milestone with the construction of two cutting-edge glasshouses.
New glasshouses will provide temporary homes for plants
Palm House was built in 1844 and is home to a variety of tropical plants, some of which are endangered or even extinct in the wild. Waterlily House was completed in 1852 to showcase the giant Amazon waterlily, and it is now full of aquatic plants and tropical fruit.
Decarbonise Palm House and Waterlily House
Kew plans to repair and decarbonise Palm House and Waterlily House as part of this strategy. The project will involve replacing the building service systems with a net-zero carbon solution for heating, cooling and ventilation, along with improving accessibility, staff facilities and health and safety measures.
Kew said ‘some of the world’s rarest and most threatened plants’ will be temporarily accommodated in the two new glasshouses as a result of the move, while their permanent homes are renovated.
They will not be open to the public
The new glasshouses will provide temporary homes for plants currently housed in the Grade I listed Palm House and Grade II listed Waterlily House, during their upcoming revamp. They have been designed with advanced systems to control temperature, humidity and light in a more sustainable way. They will not be open to the public. So of you want to see them one last time before they are moved, rush now to get a ticket!
The tallest of the new glasshouses is a temporary structure, built near the Palm House, which will be dismantled once the project is completed. The second glasshouse is in a back-of-house area and will provide extra tropical nursery space after the refurbishment.
The world’s first net zero glasshouse
Their construction is part of Kew’s plans to transform Palm House and Waterlily House into the world’s first net zero glasshouse. The famous Victorian glasshouses create an indoor rainforest environment for the protection of tropical plants, but they are showing serious signs of deterioration and are not energy efficient.