Winning Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show

Award-winning architect, Je Ahn R’02, is celebrating yet again this week having won a Gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show for the WaterAid Garden which he co-designed with celebrated landscape designer Tom Massey. The spectacular garden celebrates water as our most precious resource and addresses the challenges presented by an ever-changing climate, imagining what a UK garden might look like 50 years from now.

Je tells us, “I’m so proud that our garden has won a Gold medal. This is my first time creating a garden for RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and it has been a brilliant collaborative effort, and wonderful to watch it coming to life and relate a powerful message. Ultimately, the garden brings a message of hope, showing how resilience and innovation can help us all to adapt and flourish in the face of the climate crisis, and inspiring a new generation to be more water-wise.”

The centrepiece of the garden is a rainwater-harvesting pavilion, made with overlapping weathered steel sheets, that filters and stores water for drinking and irrigation. This was inspired by WaterAid’s work with communities around the world to develop sustainable water solutions. Collecting rain is one of the simplest forms of good quality water supply, but effective storage is often a challenge. WaterAid harnesses a range of simple, affordable rainwater collection methods to bring essential water supplies to households and schools in areas prone to water shortages or water contamination. Rooftop collection means water can be harvested near to home, so women and girls do not need to spend hours walking to collect water.

His Majesty King Charles, WaterAid’s new Royal Patron, paid a special visit to the garden on Monday as sustainability, global water security and the environment are issues that are close to the King's heart. He has played a hugely significant role over the past three decades in supporting the charity's vision of a world where everyone everywhere has clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene.

After leaving Worth, Je studied Architecture at the Universities of Bath, Delft and London Metropolitan and has gone on to win many major awards for his work with his architectural practice, Studio Weave, which he co-founded in 2007.

Many congratulations to Je and all involved!