A pavilion-like restaurant by Morris & Company forms the heart of a Kent retirement community

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Jack Hobhouse

Designed by Morris & Company, Wildernesse Restaurant is a shared dining space for the Wildernesse Estate retirement community in Sevenoaks, Kent. The timber-vaulted, metal-skinned pavilion forms part of Wildernesse House, a contemporary residential scheme also by the architect.

Located within the Wildernesse Conservation Area, the site is characterised by a rolling landscape, high-quality trees, swathes of woodland and sweeping views. During the 19th century a conservatory sat amongst a kitchen garden to the north-east corner of the existing mansion. The restaurant is intended to reinstate this pavilion typology, creating a focal point within the estate that responds to both the existing buildings and the surrounding landscape.

The semi-precious nature of the outer metallic skin alludes to the delicacy of a traditional glasshouse, contrasting with the solid masonry plinth that ties the building back to the existing house. Internally, timber vaults sit atop a grid of columns, creating a rhythm of arches that define large glazed openings, and a central elevated lantern housing the open kitchen.

External dining areas extend from the restaurant, framed by a courtyard to the west, set between the main house and the pavilion, and an orchard to the south, linking the pavilion to the wider landscape. The outer layer of the facade comprises powder-coated aluminium trays framing arched timber openings.

The design melds classical forms abstracted from the context with the efficiency of modern methods of construction, resulting in a contemporary and easy to read pavilion within a landscape steeped in heritage, says the architect. Minimal repeated elements are a key constuction concept, from the structural components and interior lining, to the modulation of the cladding and envelope. High levels of daylighting are combined with natural ventilation. The latter is employed through the use of openable panels, which reveal perforated metal screens.

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