British values: Hugh Broughton Architects' redevelopment of the Henry Moore Foundation

The Henry Moore Foundation – celebrating 40 years this year, with a series of special events – has unveiled its redeveloped estate, Dane Tree House, in Hertfordshire. The Foundation is housed in Moore’s former home and studios in Perry Green, a 70-acre site with landscaped gardens designed by Moore’s wife, Irina Moore.
The new buildings – including a new library, cafe, shop and archive facility – were executed by British firm, Hugh Broughton Architects. The design ‘maximises views of Moore’s sculptures, set in the gardens’, says Hugh Broughton, with generous glass giving onto the rural surroundings, a landscape in which Moore found considerable inspiration for his works, and where sculptures such such as Sheep Piece (1971-72) and Reclining Figure: Draped 1952-53) are now displayed.
The buildings are designed to increase the views of the Henry Moore sculptures in the grounds and gardens designed by Moore’s wife, Irina Moore
The Foundation reopened for the Easter weekend with an exhibition, ‘Becoming Henry Moore’, that goes back to the beginning, reviewing the artist’s early work and inspiration, which he found not only in the undulating curves of the countryside, but in artists like Picasso, Hepworth, Michelangelo and Epstein – all on view until October, alongside rare works by Moore himself, such as a collection of drawings from the 1920s that clearly show his singular style emerging.
Having already completed renovations on the sculpture stores at the Foundation in 2011, Hugh Broughton’s latest developments will improve the scope of the Foundation. Other major improvements include an extension to the library, revamped with oxidised steel panels, that also address the optimum storage conditions needed to safely store the Foundation’s valuable books, documents, and photographs.
There’s an emphasis throughout the design too on sustainability; a shared ground source heat pump will cool and warm the two buildings, and the use of timber implies aesthetic harmony and neutrality, in the same way Moore’s sculptures serenely inhabit the outdoors. Working with demanding atmospheres and unusual environments is something London-based Hugh Broughton are particularly good at – the firm is behind the award-winning Halley VI British Antarctic Research Station and the Juan Carlos I Antarctic Research Station (which is currently in construction).
The Henry Moore Foundation celebrates 40 years this year
Hugh Broughton Architects completed renovations on the sculpture stores at the Henry Moore Foundation in 2011
The new structures house a new library, cafe, shop and archive facility
The shop opens up to the cafe which overlooks the grounds of the Foundation
Oxidised steel panels clad the extended library and archive building
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Hugh Broughton Architects website and the Henry Moore Foundation website
ADDRESS
Henry Moore Studios & Gardens
Dane Tree House
Perry Green
Herts SG10 6EE
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Charlotte Jansen is a journalist and the author of two books on photography, Girl on Girl (2017) and Photography Now (2021). She is commissioning editor at Elephant magazine and has written on contemporary art and culture for The Guardian, the Financial Times, ELLE, the British Journal of Photography, Frieze and Artsy. Jansen is also presenter of Dior Talks podcast series, The Female Gaze.
-
The ultimate beach accessory? The Fiat Topolino Vilebrequin is a true meeting of minds
Fiat has teamed up with swimwear specialists Vilebrequin to create a Collector’s Edition of the pint-sized Topolino EV that pays homage to the glamour of Riviera life
-
Multi-functional furniture, integrated planting and a felt landscape shape this new office
Zeller & Moye’s new HQ space for a German IT company has been designed to accommodate every kind of office working situation, from introverted cubicles through to flexible open-plan spaces
-
Step inside a Hollywood Hills home where European design meets Californian ease
LA studio Broad Project takes us inside its cinematic renovation of a 1960s Spanish Revival home in the Hollywood Hills
-
Kengo Kuma’s ‘Paper Clouds’ in London is a ‘poem’ celebrating washi paper in construction
‘Paper Clouds’, an installation by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, is a poetic design that furthers research into the use of washi paper in construction
-
Foster + Partners to design the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II
For the Queen Elizabeth II memorial, Foster + Partners designs proposal includes a new bridge, gates, gardens and figurative sculptures in St James’ Park
-
Wolves Lane Centre brings greenery, growing and grass roots together
Wolves Lane Centre, a new, green community hub in north London by Material Cultures and Studio Gil, brings to the fore natural materials and a spirit of togetherness
-
This ingenious London office expansion was built in an on-site workshop
New Wave London and Thomas-McBrien Architects make a splash with this glulam extension built in the very studio it sought to transform. Here's how they did it
-
Once vacant, London's grand department stores are getting a new lease on life
Thanks to imaginative redevelopment, these historic landmarks are being reborn as residences, offices, gyms and restaurants. Here's what's behind the trend
-
Lego and Serpentine celebrate World Play Day with a new pavilion
Lego and Serpentine have just unveiled their Play Pavilion; a colourful new structure in Kensington Gardens in London and a gesture that celebrates World Play Day (11 June)
-
Inside Abbey Road's refresh: touring the legendary studio's new interior
Abbey Road gets an interior refresh by Threefold Architects, bringing the legendary London recording studio in tune with the 21st century
-
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready to visit, ‘an exhibition you can use’
The Serpentine Pavilion 2025 is ready for its public opening on 6 June; we toured the structure and spoke to its architect, Marina Tabassum