Okra has designed the Apple House, an education and wellbeing hub embedded within a plant library by landscape design practice Tom Stuart Smith Studio in Hertfordshire, England.

The Apple House is a materially innovative education and wellbeing hub set within a previously neglected orchard.

The building combines an innovative glulam portal frame, designed by Structure Workshop, with local materials and craftsmanship.

Large openings connect multifunctional spaces to the surrounding landscape on multiple axes, framing a woodland to the south, a vegetable garden to the east and an extensive plant library to the west.

A year-round community programme provides professional and public participation in horticulture and environmental stewardship, including local schools, youth groups, mental health charities, residents and designers.

This project has been shortlisted in the leisure and wellness project category of Dezeen Awards 2025.

Studio: Okra
Project: The Apple House