The Leaf Room, Ninewells Community Garden
The project was won following a national 2-Stage Architecture Competition to design a garden room at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
The leaf room is inspired from a natural form helping to connect the building to the garden it serves. The building is based on a folded leaf – using a green leaf shaped roof overhanging a rectangular shaped timber box underneath functioning as: living room, garden retreat, community room, and educational training facility.
The building is extremely environmentally conscious and is uniquely 100% off grid – having no mains service or electricity requirements. It is constructed primarily in Natural Scottish Timber and has many other environmental aspects such as the wood burning stove and rainwater harvesting from the roof to help water the garden.
The building sits comfortably in the garden space it occupies, creating a strong link between building and the excellent community garden.
Shona Robison opened the building on the 11th of November 2016 and Officially opening the room, said:
“This is a wonderful space at the heart of Ninewells that truly makes the most of the hospital’s natural surroundings. I know that patients and visitors will get a lot of benefit from the Leaf Room for years to come and I want to thank all the charities and organisations who have helped to make this fantastic project a reality.”
The Scottish Civic Trust My Place Awards were established in 2010 by the Scottish Civic Trust. They are unique in Scotland as they are a national celebration of good local design and conservation as nominated and evaluated by local people. Their aim is to identify projects or buildings that have had a positive impacting a local neighbourhood and have delivered positive benefits to that community. The Leaf Room was awarded this national accolade in 2018, winning the Scottish Civic Trust ‘My Place’ Award for the best place in Scotland.
Gaby Laing, Heritage Officer at the Scottish Civic Trust said:
“The Leaf Room totally encapsulates what the My Place Awards are all about: a beautifully and sensitively designed asset loved and used by the community.
Modest in its approach, the Leaf Room truly delivers far beyond its remit. In 2018, all eyes may be on Dundee for the opening of the new V&A, but the Leaf Room goes to show how much Dundee already has to be proud of in terms of civic pride and architecture.”
Vimeo Link: https://vimeo.com/135253946
AWARDS:
2018 Scottish Civic Trust ‘My Place’ Award
2017 Dundee Institute of Architects Award ‘Best Small Project – Non-domestic’
2017 Dundee Civic Trust Commendation
2015 Dundee Institute of Architects Award ‘Best Project on the Drawing board’
