The Royal Parks by Mizzi Studio

The first of a family of nine kiosks, designed by award-winning architecture and design practice Mizzi Studio on behalf of artisan brand Colicci for prominent locations in The Royal Parks in London, has opened at Ritz Corner, Green Park. Eight more kiosks will open through the winter, culminating with the opening of a new landmark café, designed by Mizzi Studio, on the Serpentine Bridge in spring 2019.

Photos © Luke Hayes

The organic-inspired designs for the family of kiosks and new café respond sympathetically to the Grade I listed landscape and embody the ethos of The Royal Parks as a sustainability leader. Mizzi Studio has used sustainable materials and traditional craft techniques, together with state-of-the-art manufacturing methods, to create simple, functional forms that are both striking and elegant.

Together with Colicci, Mizzi Studio explored the parks’ heritage and has tailored the design of each kiosk of the new café to the history and nuances of their respective site to create new visitor experiences and make a refreshment stop an integral part of a journey through the parks.

Photos © Luke Hayes

The family of nine kiosks, designed by Mizzi Studio, will mark the entrances to Hyde Park and St James’s Park, as well as Green Park, where the first has opened in November 2018. The kiosks are conceived as a family of individual forms that are united in their design language, with a 360-degree sculptural canopy that swells out like a tree’s crown creating a recognisable silhouette.

Photos © Luke Hayes

The organic inspired volumes follow a continuous shape with varying degrees of curvature and differing cladding profiles, that provide contrasting textures to the surface. Each design variation is informed by the architectural or organic elements that the kiosk shares its space with.

Photos © Luke Hayes

The flagship Horse Shoe Bend kiosk in St James’s Park, in view of Buckingham Palace, will be clad in tubular brass and mirror the ornate precious metals that adorn Sir Thomas Brock’s Queen Victoria Memorial, while the choice of timber cladding for the rest of the kiosks rests on the relationship with the park environment. Entrusted with bringing Mizzi Studio’s curvaceous design to life, Tom Raffield is steam-bending the oak cladding. Mizzi Studio has used high quality materials throughout the design, from sustainable oak to oxidised copper, new copper, stainless steel and brass.

Mizzi Studio’s holistic approach to the design also takes into careful consideration the use of space, energy efficiency and practicalities such as waste disposal. A rear entrance leaves the sides of the kiosk available for subtle and efficient service features including integrated bins and condiment holders.

Serpentine Bridge to open in Spring 2019

Photos © Mizzi Studio

Photos © Mizzi Studio