This project is a good modern interpretation of that great British traditional form: the 'pavilion in the park' illustrated in the architectural photography above. The Savill Building, a Visitor Centre that creates a gateway to the listed gardens, takes the form of a dramatic gridshell structure made of timber from Windsor Park in which it sits. The roof is a distinctive undulating form that lends itself to architectural photography. It ripples over everything, the gridshell twisting and turning like bones beneath an animal's skin. This innovative use of traditional materials means that it harmonises well with a skyline of mature trees, as well as being an object of great beauty and grace in its own right.

It was stipulated in the Crown Estate competition rules for this visitor centre at Windsor Park that its core material should be sourced from the Park’s own woodland - a joy to capture as architectural photography. Yet in responding to this brief Glenn Howells chose anything but the easy option as shown in the architectural photography. His Savill Garden building has emerged as part of a new wave of British interest in previously exceptionally rare timber-frame grid shell buildings led by the Weald & Downland Museum. By using a process which combines high-tech computer modeling with painstaking manual labour, Howells has created a contemporary building which seems to effortlessly align with the curves of the natural landscape and provide strong architectural photography images. 

The Savill Building was nominated for the 2006 RIBA Stirling Prize.