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Kew Gardens to house award-winning 'The Hive' pavilion

The Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew is to become the new home of the critically-acclaimed ‘multi-sensory experience’, The Hive.

Coming off the back of the display’s gold medal win as the UK pavilion at the 2015 Milan Expo, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and Royal Botanic Gardens have announced that the structure will land on British soil in June.

The Hive, which is 17 metres tall and weighs 40 tonne, was designed by Wolfgang Buttress and created by BDP, Simmonds Studio and Stage One and is inspired by groundbreaking UK scientific research into the health of bees.

Once constructed, visitors will be drawn into the space via a wildflower meadow, mimicking worker bees returning to the hive, while hundreds of glowing LEDs and a symphony of orchestral sounds will bring the structure to life.

Richard Deverell, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, lauded the ‘remarkable marriage of architecture and science’ that the work represents when he said: “We are truly delighted to announce The Hive’s move to Kew, both for its magnificent aesthetic appeal and for the resonance it has with our work.

“The Hive creates a powerful, immersive space for us to explore the urgent issues we face in relation to pollinators, their intimate relationships with plants and their vital role in helping us feed a rapidly growing population.

“To be able to bring those stories alive here at Kew – a centre of scientific knowledge and expertise, and one of the planet’s most biodiverse city landscapes – is a true honour.”

Lord Maude, Minister of State for Trade & Investment, added: “The UK Pavilion at the Milan World Expo 2015 was an outstanding success. It was visited by over 3.3 million people in just six months, with a further 450 million people viewing it across the world’s media and online, and it received multiple awards including the Expo’s gold medal for best architecture and landscape design.

“Our business legacy is already secured with over £800 million in business wins from the global ‘Grown in Britain & Northern Ireland business programme’. As a physical legacy, it is fantastic that more of the UK public will have the opportunity to experience The Hive for themselves in the perfect setting at Kew.

“The Expo focused on sustainable ways of feeding a growing global population while protecting our environment: I cannot think of a better home for it now that the Expo is over.”