A brutalist garden revived: the case of the Mountbatten House grounds by Studio Knight Stokoe
Tour a brutalist garden redesign by Studio Knight Stokoe at Mountbatten House, a revived classic in Basingstoke, UK

Think of hanging gardens and lush cascading green terraces and the image conjured up might not immediately take you to Basingstoke, UK. Yet this is exactly where such a project is located; welcome to Plant, the impressive new scheme by Studio Knight Stokoe. Founded in 2022 by partners Martin Knight and Claire Stokoe, the landscape practice, was called upon to revive the protected gardens of an important Grade II listed modernist building - Mountbatten House.
While Twelve Architects worked on the complex’s internal refurb to a commercial workplace (all in collaboration with the client, Mactaggart Family & Partners, developer Longstock Capitaland contractor, CField Construction to complete the Grant Associates and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios design, to deliver and reinstate the buildings’ original pioneering design intent), the young landscape studio was tasked with rejuvenating its grounds, which were created in 1976 by noted garden designer and horticulturist James Russell.
Landscape design of Plant, by Studio Knight Stokoe
Explore this reworked brutalist garden
The landscape scheme includes five levels of terraced roof gardens and ground-level areas. Injecting 21st-century flair to the historical building, Knight and Stokoe continued the themes from the original design. The former explains: ‘The terraces are designed and constructed as you would a private garden at ground level, in that there are no raised planters, and areas of paving, lawn, and planting beds transition seamlessly. This project is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ensure the gardens can be used and enjoyed for at least the next 50 years of the building’s life.'
Masterplan illustration by Michael Paul Lewis
Supported by the client, who aimed to sensitively retrofit and reuse the existing building and reestablish its gardens, Knight Stokoe was only six months old when the team took on the project. Maintaining Russell’s concept for the green space to be ‘informal, elaborate, romantic, overflowing, and tumbling,’ the gardens were redesigned to be resilient to extreme weather, which was reflected in the plant species.
Summer garden illustration by Michael Paul Lewis
These bridge ‘original planting palettes, provide for pollinators and enhance ecological habitats and biodiversity,’ Knight and Stokoe, who place sustainability at their work’s heart and whose studio is B Corp-registered, explain. ‘The relationship between internal and external spaces is also crucial, with building occupants having direct and inclusive access to each garden, fostering deeper connections with the natural world.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Fluid workspaces: is the era of prescriptive office design over?
We discuss evolving workspaces and track the shape-shifting interiors of the 21st century. If options are what we’re after in office design, it looks like we’ve got them
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This collection of slow furniture is a powerful ode to time
A serene exhibition of David Dolcini's 'Time-made' collection has fast-tracked its place into our hearts and homes
By Ifeoluwa Adedeji Published
-
Is the Pragma P1 the most sustainable watch yet?
Geneva-based brand Pragma combines industrial design with real sustainable credentials
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Are Derwent London's new lounges the future of workspace?
Property developer Derwent London’s new lounges – created for tenants of its offices – work harder to promote community and connection for their users
By Emily Wright Published
-
Showing off its gargoyles and curves, The Gradel Quadrangles opens in Oxford
The Gradel Quadrangles, designed by David Kohn Architects, brings a touch of playfulness to Oxford through a modern interpretation of historical architecture
By Shawn Adams Published
-
A Norfolk bungalow has been transformed through a deft sculptural remodelling
North Sea East Wood is the radical overhaul of a Norfolk bungalow, designed to open up the property to sea and garden views
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A new concrete extension opens up this Stoke Newington house to its garden
Architects Bindloss Dawes' concrete extension has brought a considered material palette to this elegant Victorian family house
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A former garage is transformed into a compact but multifunctional space
A multifunctional, compact house by Francesco Pierazzi is created through a unique spatial arrangement in the heart of the Surrey countryside
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A 1960s North London townhouse deftly makes the transition to the 21st Century
Thanks to a sensitive redesign by Studio Hagen Hall, this midcentury gem in Hampstead is now a sustainable powerhouse.
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Manchester United and Foster + Partners to build a new stadium: ‘Arguably the largest public space in the world’
The football club will spend £2 billion on the ambitious project, which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has described as the ‘world's greatest football stadium’
By Anna Solomon Published
-
'Bold and unapologetic', this contemporary Wimbledon home replaces a 1970s house on site
This grey-brick Wimbledon home by McLaren Excell is a pairing of brick and concrete, designed to be mysterious
By Tianna Williams Published