Longwood Gardens was created by industrialist and philanthropist, Pierre S. du Pont in 1906. In addition to the property serving as his country estate, Mr. du Pont set about creating gardens intended to “exploit the sentiments and ideas associated with plants and flowers in a large way.” Today, Longwood covers 1,050 acres including woodlands and meadows, 20 outdoor gardens and 20 indoor garden rooms inside a four-acre conservatory complex, with nearly one million visitors each year.

Longwood invited us to design a new square and performance area in front of the new East Conservatory. The design incorporates sweeping grass terraces that emerge from the landform and open southwards to the gardens and entrance. We have developed a new concept of domed top lit lavatory cabinets hidden within the earthform. These cabinets open off a glass roofed spine through walls of orchids and ferns. The design was worked up with local project Landscape Architects Wells Appel.