The Blooming Shed

The result is a unique garden building, The Blooming Shed. Designed and constructed by BAT Studio’s in-house team, the project amplifies the sensory and restorative qualities of Chase Farm Hospital’s community garden, transforming it into a space that challenges preconceived notions of hospital architecture. The community garden, a vital part of Chase Farm Hospital’s mental health facilities for over half a century, is a place of connection and healing. Lush with flowers, wildlife and vegetable patches, it is a sanctuary where patients and staff can experience the therapeutic benefits of nature. At the heart of the garden stood an aging structure in urgent need of replacement. BAT Studio responded with The Blooming Shed, a building designed to change with the seasons and the weather. The architectural centrepiece is its kinetic façade. Consisting of three large glazed panels mounted on giant drawer runners, it unfurls to dissolve the buildings boundary and invite the outdoors in. This interplay of movement and space creates a building that feels alive, shifting and blooming with the seasons. The restricted budget led to imaginative uses of low-cost materials. The corrugated galvanised steel roofing arcs, for example, are usually sold for pig shelters on farms, although the building’s form softens this industrial material. The paint scheme was created by colour matching a terracotta plant pot from the garden, while the interior, crafted from plywood and softwood timber, fosters an atmosphere of warmth and intimacy. The Blooming Shed is more than a garden room - it is a dynamic space that enhances the sensory experience of its users, fostering well-being through a seamless dialogue between architecture and nature.