RHS Wisley Hilltop

The Centre of Horticultural Science and Learning

Towards the end of 2020, Cousins Group completed an exciting project at the RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey. Working on behalf of Osborne Construction, we carried out decoration works to the brand-new RHS Hilltop, the UK’s first dedicated horticultural scientific centre of excellence. This new two-storey building will be used to house unique specimens, three research laboratories, library & archives, permanent exhibition areas along with two learning studios and a teaching garden.

RHS Hilltop will be a remarkable space to showcase previously unseen work and inspire the next generation of scientists.

PROJECT TASKS AND CHALLENGES

The scope of work included decoration to walls, ceilings, floors, and joinery throughout the newly built education facility.

Surface finishes included:

  • Dulux Diamond Satin Wood and Dulux Diamond Matt to plasterboard surfaces, blockwork, and concrete surfaces.
  • FlowCrete Flowcoat SF41, a high-performance floor coating with anti-slip properties to concrete floors.
  • Sikafloor Proseal Pro, a dust proofer and sealer to increase surface strength and wearability.
  • Kiem Lotexan, a water repellent and dust suppressant applied to internal exposed concrete substrates.
  • Kiem Concretal Lasur, acting as a stain that penetrates the surface of concrete, equalising colour variations and blemishes.
  • Polyurethane Lacquer applied to protect timber surfaces.
  • SecilTek Silicate Paint, a breathable and durable water-based paint applied to clay plasterwork substrates.

As our work progressed, internal furnishings were being installed before our team had applied topcoats, so this made it difficult for us to move our equipment around and paint certain areas. Covid-19 also presented us with some difficulties, but our teams worked together and adapted to the challenges, for which we are extremely grateful for.

PROJECT RESULTS

Our team completed the project efficiently and to an exceptionally high standard. RHS has recently announced that the opening date for the RHS Hilltop is 24th June 2021 – we look forward to making a visit once it’s open!

Value: £87k

Completion: December 2020

Client: Osborne Construction

 

*External image courtesy of RHS / Chris Gorman.