The Canopy & Gardens

The Cherrywood Canopy and Biophilic Sunken Garden form a central public-realm intervention within The Campus at Cherrywood, establishing a sheltered civic space that supports daily life for tenants and visitors. Positioned along the main pedestrian route linking Cherrywood Town Centre with the Greenway, the project creates a natural point of pause and a vertical connection between the underground car park and the office buildings above. The sunken garden introduces a calmer landscape setting where colleagues can meet, work informally or simply spend time outdoors, benefitting from the restorative qualities of planting, light and microclimate.

The architectural expression is defined by a series of double-curved glulam timber beams that trace the canopy’s sinuous form. These elements were digitally modelled and CNC-fabricated, with cold-formed glass providing shelter while keeping the structure visibly legible. Rainwater is guided through planted beds in a cascading sequence, creating a self-watering landscape that reinforces the biophilic intent.

Timber acts as the primary exposed material, demonstrating how low-carbon construction can shape contemporary public realm and support a more sustainable model of workplace development. Together, the canopy and garden enhance wellbeing, social interaction and biodiversity, and contribute to Cherrywood’s ambition to foster a nature-based urban environment grounded in amenity and public life.