Mizzi Studio has completed its most significant commission in London to date, culminating with the installation of a brass tubular kiosk at the foot of Buckingham Palace.

The four-year-long commission by artisan brand Colicci, saw nine handcrafted kiosks replacing ageing refreshment kiosks across The Royal Parks, as well as the development of a coffee house near the Serpentine lake. The kiosks’ installation roll-out began in October 2018, with the final kiosk erected on site at St James’s Park this month.

The kiosks have been built on existing sites across Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park. The most recently-erected structure, the flagship Horseshoe Bend kiosk in St James’s Park, is clad in tubular brass and mirrors the ornate precious metals of the nearby Sir Thomas Brock’s Queen Victoria Memorial.

Photo: Mizzi Studio

Responding to the Grade I listed landscape, Mizzi Studio designed each kiosk to sit sympathetically in its environment. The freestanding kiosks are conceived as a family of individual curvaceous structures with a tree-like canopy. The initial eight kiosks are clad in hand steam-bent English oak timber, developed in collaboration with British designer and maker Tom Raffield.

Mizzi Studio said the kiosks’ 360-degree sculptural canopy swells outwards like a tree’s crown, creating recognisable silhouettes. 

Photo: Mizzi Studio

Together with Colicci’s director Rob Colicci, Jonathan Mizzi, director of Mizzi Studio, spent months exploring the parks’ heritage to ensure that each kiosk is unique and tailored to the history, nuances and demographics of its respective site.

Mizzi Studio has collaborated with Colicci on a number of projects over the years, including the multi award-winning copper café at London’s Westfield Stratford shopping centre and The Pheasantry Café within Grade I Listed Bushy Park.

 “The Horseshoe Bend Kiosk marks the conclusion of our studio’s most significant commission in London to-date. But more importantly, it signals a new chapter for Londoners and visitors alike – a chapter of hope and belonging. We believe public architecture can restore mental well-being, bring people together, and we are grateful to Colicci and The Royal Parks for allowing us the opportunity to offer a network of nature-inspired landmarks that people can turn to, enjoy, and unite amongst,” Mizzi said.