Constructed in 1631, Kew was once the lavish country residence of George II's family. The practice undertook the final phase of a ten-year long restoration so that the Grade I listed Palace could be reopened to the public.
Extensive repairs were made to the masonry and joinery, but the project's focus was the re-presentation of the interiors. After meticulous research and analysis, the original decorative schemes were painstakingly reinstated. Services were installed so that audio-visual equipment could be used in a new interpretation strategy. The second-floor rooms, once used by the Princesses and largely unchanged in 200 years, were opened to the public for the first time.
Central to the brief was the need to make the Palace fully accessible. Working closely with the engineer and joiner, the team designed a lift for the building's west facade. A wooden closet shaft, destroyed in 1880, supplied the precedent for the structure and informed the oak cladding of the design. The team's thoughtful refurbishment won a number of awards.