Maltese architect Jonathan Mizzi has been selected to design a pavilion for the new Carbon Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in southwest London.

The garden, slated to open in July, highlights carbon’s crucial role in the ecosystem, illustrating the scale of the climate crisis while demonstrating how nature can help restore balance.

Mizzi, founder of Mizzi Studio, told Times of Malta he was honoured to be part of the project. “We hope it sparks a sense of wonder and urgency – proving that harmony with nature isn’t just possible, it’s essential to our survival.”

Designed to encourage visitors to rethink their relationship with nature, the pavilion appears to grow organically from the garden, symbolising the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi.

It is constructed using sustainably sourced materials, low-carbon stone foundations and a natural fibre composite canopy inspired by the pitcher plant, a carnivorous plant.

But while the pitcher plant’s pitcher-shaped leaves are designed to trap prey, Mizzi’s structure is designed to capture rainwater, which is then channelled into the surrounding rain garden.

While the pitcher plant’s pitcher-shaped leaves are designed to trap prey, Mizzi’s structure is designed to capture rainwater, which is then channelled into the surrounding rain garden.

'We can grow our environments with nature'

Mizzi believes the Carbon Garden and its pavilion demonstrate “how regenerative architecture can move beyond sustainability, proving that we can grow our environments with nature, rather than simply constructing them”. He also sees this philosophy as crucial for Malta.

“We must rethink how we design our urban environments to work with nature rather than against it,” he said. He pointed to Mizzi Studio’s work on the Regenerative Multimodal Transport System, developed in collaboration with the University of Malta’s Research, Innovation and Development Trust, as an example of how nature-based solutions can transform mobility.

The project suggests an approach to addressing Malta’s traffic problems by creating routes for multiple modes of transport.

The Maltese design studio was previously selected to design a family kitchen for Kew. The studio has also designed kiosks for the Royal Parks across London and created the Home Away from Hive pavilion for the Science Museum.

The Carbon Garden and its pavilion are expected to serve as a model for how design and ecology can work in harmony, offering visitors an immersive experience that highlights nature’s role in tackling the climate crisis.