The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is one of London’s four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The stunning gardens feature geometric designs and impressive glasshouses, along with other historic and contemporary buildings. One of the architectural gems is The Orangery. Designed by Sir William Chambers and built in 1761, it is admired as one of the finest buildings of its type. This beautifully proportioned space has served many functions over the centuries. Once used as a Timber Museum, it later became an exhibition area and a bookshop. For the last 20 years it has been home to a restaurant, serving millions of visitors. In the evenings it can accommodate dinner dances, wedding parties and other events.
The high ceiling, grand arched windows and renaissance statues all combine to make this Grade I-listed building an elegant space. However, there are many hard surfaces which present acoustic challenges, especially when the building is full of people engaged in conversation.
In 2001, we were asked to improve the acoustics of the building and some of our recommendations were installed, including fabric wall hangings. When in 2023 the Orangery was scheduled to undergo further restoration, architects Acanthus Clews called on us once again to enhance the acoustics.
When offering expert advice on a building such as this, we knew that further acoustic improvements would need to be heard but not seen. Such a building of national importance demanded a carefully considered solution.
Project Manager Ian Rees recommended that special acoustic plaster from Ecophon would be applied to the ceiling. Inset wall panels were carefully located within arched recesses, which were then hand-painted with latticework decoration. Acoustics Consultant George Moore carried out a series of sound tests at the site and computer modelling ensured that the results would work.
The Orangery’s latest phase of restoration was completed in June 2023, and the public now enjoy a greatly improved ambience. As with so many examples of our work, you may not be able to see the improvements we recommended, but the results are plain to hear.
In September 2023, our work on this project was recognised by the Association of Noise Consultants, receiving a nomination for an award in the category of Building Acoustics.
Architect/Client: Acanthus Clews on behalf of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Project value: not available
Photo credits: AJA/Acanthus Clews/Andy Marshall
