The Ideal Hut Show is at Dundee University’s Botanic Garden from July 2-26. The touring exhibition showcases unique and innovative ways of reinventing the much-loved garden shed, as Gayle Ritchie discovers
The humble shed – a basic wooden structure hidden away at the bottom of the garden and used to store tools and bags of compost.
But is that really all it is?
The Ideal Hut Show promises to turn any preconceptions of sheds as being purely functional on their heads.
The quirky touring installation features 18 garden huts, transformed into extraordinary spaces by top architects and designers from across the UK, including Kelpies designer Andy Scott and Benedetta Tagliabue of Miralles Tagliabue, architects of the Scottish Parliament.
Other highlights include a tartan hut and another by the late David Mackay (1933-2014), which stands as a poignant reflection on the refugee crisis.
The exhibition is a headline event of the Festival of Architecture and a key
milestone in the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.
Following its launch at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in April, it travelled to Glasgow and appears at Dundee University’s Botanic Garden from July 2-26. From there, it will travel to Inverness, finishing at Perth’s King Edwards Street from September 10-25.
Neil Baxter, Secretary of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, who curated the exhibition, said: “This exhibition shows what architects can do when confronted by a creative challenge and a very small budget.
“Fifteen of these huts are designed by architects, two by leading artists and one by our own – Dr Who obsessive – graphic designer. They have been built, brilliantly by Jim Bryceland and Peter Dickson, both renowned Scottish
craftsmen in their own right. Creative Scotland has funded the tour and we hope the public will enjoy them as much as we have.”
Andy Scott, designer of The Kelpies, explained why his offering might look familiar: “The dazzle camouflage effect of the hut is an exact replica of the skin cladding plates of one of The Kelpies.”
Meanwhile, Isabel and Clara Garriga, of Glasgow-based Holmes Miller
Architects, used the ideal hut competition to rethink the shed and transform it into a talking point by giving it a strong Scottish identity.
“The tartan hut was a great chance to show that architects can laugh about themselves,” said Clara.
