Sky Innovation Centre
A Woodland Glade for Creativity and Innovation.
Location: London, UK
Client: SKY Plc
Year: 2023
Site Area: 0.7 hectare
“It’s the beautiful landscape, in every season, that makes SKY campus so special.”
– Sir Jeremy Darroch
CEO SKY TV
A Landscape Setting for Innovation and Exploration
The landscape for the Sky Innovation Centre was conceived as a quiet, restorative counterpoint to the intensity of creative and technological work taking place within the building. Continuing URBAN’s long-term, landscape-led vision for the Sky campus, the brief called for an environment that would support invention, collaboration, and experimentation, while also offering moments of calm, reflection, and connection to nature. The design responds by wrapping the building within a carefully composed landscape—nestling it at the centre of a woodland glade and allowing nature to set the tone. In this way, the Innovation Centre reads not as an isolated object, but as part of a living landscape that supports both human wellbeing and ecological richness.
Geometry, Movement, and the Oval Clearing
A clear geometric framework underpins the landscape layout, providing structure, legibility, and intuitive movement through the site. Strong directional lines guide pedestrians between key entrances, buildings, and routes across the campus, while long vistas are carefully framed through planting and open space. At the heart of the design sits a central oval lawn—an open clearing within the woodland glade—around which the Innovation Centre is positioned. A radial path traces the edge of this oval, acting as a unifying element that connects the landscape on all sides of the building and establishes a dynamic relationship between the open lawn and the surrounding planted edges. This precise yet gentle geometry allows the landscape to feel ordered without being rigid, supporting both everyday movement and informal occupation of the space.
Meadows, the Pavilion, and Living Landscape
Two sides of the Innovation Centre are bordered by species-rich meadow, introducing a more open and expressive planting character that contrasts with the woodland edge while significantly enhancing biodiversity. These meadows bring seasonal change, movement, and texture into the heart of the campus, supporting pollinators and creating a softer, more immersive experience at ground level. Within this shared landscape sits the Pavilion—a separate, lightweight building offering healthy food options for Sky colleagues. Designed with a seamless indoor–outdoor relationship, the Pavilion is wrapped in glass doors that open directly onto a natural stone terrace, blurring the boundary between interior and landscape. The terrace overlooks the lawn, meadow, and glade, encouraging people to spill outdoors throughout the day. Subtle changes in topography are sculpted into the landscape, with amphitheatre-style seating integrated into the lawn to support gatherings, events, and everyday use. Together, the woodland, meadow, Pavilion, and oval clearing create a layered, living landscape—one that grounds innovation in nature and demonstrates how thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces can quietly enrich creativity, wellbeing, and community.
