The focal point of Tom Massey and Je Ahn’s WaterAid garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2024 is a rainwater harvesting pavilion made from lapped sheets of weathering steel in funnel shapes.
The structure, designed by Je Ahn, harvests rainfall, filtering and storing it for drinking and irrigation while also slowing water flow and providing shade. In the lowland areas, the environment is denser and wetter, moving into sparser, drier planting on the upper levels.
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The garden is filled with an array of resilient plants designed to tolerate these varying conditions. Hottonia palustris has been chosen for its sensitivity to water pollution and Hesperaloe parviflora for its drought resistance.
“One in ten people in the world don’t have clean water close to home, and climate change is making it worse,” says Tom. The garden celebrates water as a precious resource and the pavilion is inspired by WaterAid’s work alongside communities around the world developing locally relevant, reliable, clean water solutions.
An open, galvanised steel deck runs throughout the garden, floating over the landscape, allowing water, wildlife and plants to move beneath. Everything is permeable, allowing for the easy passage of water through the space, and much of the material is reclaimed and repurposed to ensure a lighter carbon footprint. The design isn’t without its challenges. “The pavilion is a very bespoke item,” explains Tom. “We hope it’s not going to leak and will function as we expect. A rainwater harvesting structure that doesn’t harvest effectively wouldn’t be ideal, especially under scrutiny from RHS judges.”
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5 key elements
- A rainwater harvesting pavilion is the garden’s main feature and was fabricated by Cake Industries (cakeindustries.co.uk) supported by Mule Studio (mule.studio) especially for the show.
- Beech timber seats have been designed for the space in collaboration with woodworker Sebastian Cox (sebastiancox.co.uk); the monolithic structures will add a sculptural element to the space as well as a place to sit.
- Swales and channels set around the garden keep water within the landscape and will be planted up with aquatic and marginal plants.
- Three large alder trees, chosen because they can survive when submerged in water, rise from the landscape around the pavilion. Their toleration of flood conditions links the garden back to WaterAid’s work around the world.
- Permeable design Every surface of the garden is designed to be permeable and allow water to pass through, including the metal decking under which plants, water and wildlife can travel.
Contact tommassey.co.uk; studioweave.com Contractor: Landscape Associates. Plants: Hortus
