Chestnut Nursery is a registered charity and a project of SWOP, Sheltered Work Opportunities Project, which provides meaningful work in a supportive and pressure-free environment, for adults with enduring mental illness. SWOP aims to use the therapeutic nature of horticulture to restore mental well-being. Footprint Architects were asked to design and develop a new retail garden centre, on the edge of Poole Park, for employees to work in a warm comfortable environment, whilst providing a high quality area for displaying the centres goods for customers. The building design is built up of 3 layers or wrapping, the first being a layer of gabion stone walls to create a secure safe structure for staff to work in, the second is a glazed element of curtain walling, and the final layer is Sweet Chestnut Cladding to bring warmth and comfort to the shop. The design brings an agricultural response to the site using natural materials and stripped back detailing to provide an existing yet cost effective solution to the client. We love helping groups navigate through challenging projects with fundraising and planning constraints and have used Virtual Reality technology to engage all sectors of the community. Consideration of spacial planning, materials and daylighting, have enabled us to create transformational architecture that offers the local community a sense of pride and ownership. If you have a project that you’d like to speak to an architect about, or get a quote for, please feel free to contact us.