Step inside this greenhouse pavilion in the heart of London to catch the gardening bug
The Veggery has launched to inspire a passion for gardening and mark the closure of the 2026 London Festival of Architecture
If you've ever experimented with gardening but were unsure where to start, head straight to this new London greenhouse pavilion, which has just launched within the Barbican Estate. Titled The Veggery and erected, not only to inspire the public to explore seeds and plant growing, but also to mark the closure of the 2026 London Festival of Architecture, the project was created by Studio Folk Architects and Raskl, with the help and support of NLA and the Culture Mile Business Improvement District.
Explore The Veggery, a new London greenhouse pavilion
The project was awarded to the architecture practice and the design-and-build studio through a competition. The fun structure appears as part-folly, part working allotment, featuring a playful structure, which is, however, practically minded and lined with shelves that hold a variety of plant pots for seed growing.
The greenhouse pavilion sits on a hexagonal footprint. It features a vaulted polytunnel roof, water butts that double as columns, and a turnip finial at its very top. The form is meant to straddle the worlds between the traditional greenhouse typologies often found in English countryhouse farms and estates, and the Barbican's brutalist architecture forms – in particular its barrel-vaulted roof.
Patrick O’Keefe, co-founder and director of Studio Folk Architects, said, 'We’re really excited to see The Veggery installed in its new home, and become an extension of the Barbican’s iconic public realm for the summer.
'We’ve worked hard with the project team to develop a programme of activation that aims to foster a sense of shared ownership. It’s a space that does a lot – a greenhouse, an event space, a classroom and a spot for lunch – so we hope everyone can find something they enjoy in it.'
Giant paper collages produced during workshops with students from the neighbouring City of London School for Girls adorn its translucent façade elements, nodding to historic stained glass motifs. The aim is for the pavilion to become a place for community and social gatherings as much as for plant knowledge.
Dan Rose, director of Raskl, said: 'Raskl has been proud to work alongside Studio Folk, LFA and Culture Mile BID to bring The Veggery to life at St Giles. Organisations like the Culture Mile BID set ambitious goals for the public realm, and projects like this only succeed when design and delivery are worked through together from the start.
'What makes it most exciting is the site itself – a working church, a school with its own growing programme, and a community that will actually use the space long after the festival ends. We're glad to have helped turn a strong idea into something they can all make their own.'
