Thrive, the national charity that uses gardening to enable people with disabilities and mental ill health to transform their lives, is delighted to announce that work has started on creating a fantastic new space for gardeners, volunteers and staff in Battersea Park, London.

The new build is replacing the portable buildings used by the charity for some years and which were no longer fit for purpose.

Architects Pedder & Scampton worked closely with Thrive horticultural therapists, service users and volunteers when designing the building.

The shape of the building is curved around the large London Plane tree that dominates the site. The curved roof and rear wall, which are both slate finished, and the more open glass walled Orangery to the inside of the curve will create a building with a distinctive appearance.

Gardens surrounding the building will be planted by Thrive gardeners working to a plan created by the award-winning garden designer Sarah Price. This was Sarah’s first association with Thrive when, as a budding young garden designer, she won a competition to create the garden for our new build.

Sarah has since gone on to designing a gold medal winning garden at Chelsea in 2012, was involved in creating the gardens at the Olympic Park and worked with Thrive again last year in the Old English Garden.

The Battersea new build is designed to be low maintenance with robust finishes inside and out. The building is laid out so that the Orangery can be used as a work room with big open doors allowing the gardeners to come and go all day without needing to worry about shutting doors or wiping boots.

In bad weather two up and over garage doors can be pulled down but the glass of the Orangery allows the light to remain.

Tool stores are incorporated into the external walls of the building and separate internal training rooms allow other groups to be on site at the same time.

Thrive was keen for the new build to be as environmentally friendly as possible, whilst maintaining the practical element for users. The large tree at the site means that using solar power and ground source heat pumps were not possible.

The building will be heated using an air source heat pump and has been positioned to take the maximum benefit from solar gain, incorporates solar shading where overheating might be an issue, and works with natural ventilation adjusted by manually operated opening flaps.

Rainwater is collected from the main roof for plant watering. The materials used are timber and natural slate with a recycled aggregate specified for the concrete.

Kathryn Rossiter, Thrive’s Chief Executive, said: “We are excited to have got this project underway and at the prospect of moving back into the centre of Battersea Park in the spring.

“It will be fantastic for our gardeners and the extra space will allow us to help even more people.

“This will be a flagship building for us on East Carriage Drive which will also allow us to increase the number and variety of plants and herbs we can use and sell to members of the public.

“We are very grateful to the many people who have donated funds towards the cost of the building.

“We still have to raise some funds for the garden and look for creative ways of furnishing the new build with a kitchen and some equipment; so if anyone could offer us help in that way, we’d be delighted to hear from them.

“I would also like to thank New Covent Garden Market for accommodating us in their offices for the past couple of years and Wandsworth Council for their support and advice in helping us achieve our plans.”

Councillor Jonathan Cook, the council’s cabinet member for environment and culture, said: "We are happy to be able to support the valuable services Thrive offers by providing a space in Battersea Park in which gardeners, volunteers and staff can work.

"They have helped thousands of people with disabilities over the years and long may that continue."

For the blog, visit http://thrivebatterseablog.wordpress.com/ Based on information supplied by Alyson Chorley.