Gardening Will Save The World

An innovative urban gardening installation for Tom Dixon / Ikea

blokbuild worked closely with Tom Dixon’s Research Design Studio to produce ‘Gardening will Save the Word’, an innovative and award-winning urban gardening installation presented by Tom Dixon/Ikea at RHS Chelsea FlowerShow 2019. The two-storey garden explores sustainable, affordable and forward-thinking solutions for inner-city food growing.

We carried out full off-site trial assembly of the KRB galvanised steel structure, troubleshooting and developing efficient site processes for the tight installation window in Chelsea, as well as design and fabrication of steel staircase and handrail system. Ply-backed Anorim cork panels for the stair treads and first floor viewing platform were carefully fabricated and treated, whilst CNC technology and CAD drawing services were used to design and develop bespoke wooden planters, fabricated to fit alongside off-the-shelf modular elements.

Onsite, we worked with the planting and installation team at Bespoke Outdoor Solutions to successfully deliver the Silver Medal winning installation.

Following exhibition at RHS Chelsea, ‘Gardening Will Save the World’ was donated to the Participatory City Foundation in Barking and Dagenham. blokbuild led on the project rebuild, enabling the project to enter it’s successful second-life as an inner city community garden.