Midlothian-based design and build specialist Old School Fabrications (OSF) has shared its plans for a bespoke spherical shelter to serve as the emotional heart of the Down’s Syndrome Scotland Garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Delivered in collaboration with Burton Hall Garden Design with maker and creative contributions from Angie Lewin, Frances Priest Studio and Laurence McIntosh, ‘The Hug’ is a homegrown larch den designed to embody the emotional characteristics of people with Down’s Syndrome.
Conceived as a structural representation of an embrace, the snug will provide a place for quiet reflection, drawing out the inner playfulness of visitors by evoking a child’s den.
Articulating the design, OSF wrote: “Our design features eight generously sized seats, each positioned between the vertical spines of the structure to make the visitor feel as though they are being comfortably held, in a similar way to a wingback chair.
“The complexities of making a spherical structure from straight pieces of wood meant that each piece of cladding on the ten sides of the structure required different angles to be cut into them.”
The building will be relocated to the Watch Us Grow Garden in Palacerigg Country Park.