Last chance to see the iconic showcase of next generation low noise design before being donated to Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice
London, June 30, 2014: John Lewis, Retailer of the Year 2013* and Quiet Mark, the international mark of approval from the UK’s Noise Abatement Society, will open the Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show on July 7th to media and July 8th – July 13th to the public.
Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis
The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis, stand E165, will be the central feature at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. This exceptional acoustically-designed structure is a once in a lifetime showcase that has to be seen to be believed. It has been specifically developed to offer a vision of a quieter style of living, featuring the products that we all rely on, but without the unwanted noise.
Nestled in a peaceful oasis of naturalistic forest planting and sculptured landscaping, designed by David Domoney of ITV’s Love Your Garden, the giant Treehouse is a special quiet escape from the noise of our busy world.
Visitors can explore the Treehouse, which is made from Kebony wood and offers a beautiful sanctuary for wildlife including a bee wall, houses for solitary bees and wood stacks for frogs, toads and hedgehogs in the surrounding feature garden. They will learn how to encourage wildlife in their own garden whilst discovering the secrets to a peaceful, harmonious home.
Sound is increasingly becoming a more important consideration when deciding what technology to buy for our homes. John Lewis’s pioneering partnership with the Quiet Mark award programme sets a new benchmark in sound quality for the next generation of high performance low-noise technology, designed to be in closer harmony with nature.
This unique charity/retailer partnership is also aiming to evolve consumer understanding of sound quality whilst working to develop a new era of sound measurement for electrical products sold at the UK’s favourite department store.
Lexus, the luxury hybrid car leader, and Panasonic, leader in the development and engineering of electronic technologies, are feature sponsors of the Treehouse.
The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis will feature Quiet Mark awarded brands, including Panasonic, Magimix, Dyson, Philips, STIHL and many more stocked at John Lewis in-store and online at John Lewis.com.
Johnathan Marsh, Head of Buying And Electricals for John Lewis, says: “We have noticed that increasingly customers are considering sound an important factor when buying technology for the home. For a long time we’ve just accepted that modern life means a cacophony of noise, but there is a rising awareness of household noise in particular and the negative impact it can have on our health and wellbeing. Coming home should mean a peaceful and relaxing environment, but while space is at a premium it’s often the worst offenders – washing machines, vacuum cleaners, extractor fans and food mixers – that are essential for the upkeep of a pleasant home. People’s tolerance levels are getting lower, and as a result we are making buying decisions based on sound as much as price.”
Poppy Elliott, Managing Director of Quiet Mark says: “Quiet Mark’s partnership with John Lewis is breaking new ground to build awareness of the importance of the aural environment, and the response from the public has been amazing. Through the sound-designed structure of the Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis, we can demonstrate that acoustic design for lower noise high performance technology can be applied to several products with diverse uses. By encouraging considered investment in product innovation, it is possible to make the sound output of any product less intrusive to reduce unwanted noise, whilst delivering excellence in product performance.”
The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis will open its doors for the final time at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, before being donated to Chestnut Tree House, the children’s hospice for Sussex to support care for children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses.
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Note to Editors;
The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis will offer personal sound-portraits for visitors and a Wild Sanctuary animal soundscape archive for an unforgettable take-home experience.
Everyone involved with The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis have ultimately created a dream space for Chestnut Tree House, the children’s hospice for Sussex to support care for children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses. Following the show, the treehouse will be donated for permanent use by the children and their families to enjoy every day.
UK brands kindly donating materials for The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis, designed by Blue Forest Luxury Treehouses, for Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice include Jewson, Pilkington Glass, Kebony, Medite Tricoya, Acoustiblok, Cantifix, Kvadrat – Soft Cells, Rockwool, Alternative Flooring and more.
Interiors by John Lewis, Lighting by John Cullen lighting, interior consultancy by Quiet Mark, garden design by David Domoney.
Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis facts
- The treehouse is 9m tall, 6m wide and 10m long, with a floor space of 46m2. The main platform stands 4m above the ground.
- The entire structure weighs 25 tonnes, and it will need to be assembled by a 35 tonne crane.
- There is over 30km of Kebony timber cladding on the outside of the structure. This is a sustainable alternative to tropical hardwoods.
- The Treehouse incorporates 200 tonnes of soil.
- The Treehouse design was inspired by the shape of a copse of trees on a distant hilltop, and the dramatic fins beneath the treehouse deck were inspired by the shape of a buttress root.
The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis will be on display to the public at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2014 between July 8th – 13th 2014.
If you would like to attend The Quiet Mark Treehouse and Garden by John Lewis media launch at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2014 on Monday, July 7th, please contact [email protected] to confirm your place.
About Quiet Mark
In our stressful lives we are surrounded by a cacophony of sound that we have little power to stop. The louder the noise around us the more energy we waste to overcome it, and it is getting worse day by day. If we don’t do something about this soon, our ability to hear the subtle sounds around us will disappear. Quiet Mark is embarking on a journey to redress the situation, to create a demand for the use of quieter technology in our homes, in our workplace and in the open air.
Quiet Mark, a not-for-profit trading arm of the Noise Abatement Society charity, sprang from the response to public complaints received by the Society’s 24/7 national noise helpline, concerning the volume of excessive noise made by household tools and appliances which invade the fabric of everyday life. Quiet Mark brings the answer with a universal symbol and system of support for consumers and industry alike to help transform the aural environment for the benefit of all by commending the quietest technology currently available on the market. A team of the UK’s leading acousticians at the Association of Noise Consultants assesses quiet Mark product submissions.
The response from industry internationally has been overwhelmingly positive with over 40 leading global brands across first 30 product categories, from dishwashers to garden tools, now on board including AEG Electrolux, Dyson, LG, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung and Whirlpool. They have all achieved awards for their quieter products with the distinctive purple Quiet Mark logo. The world’s first quiet showcase featuring the award winners and other practical peacemaking solutions, including Quiet Mark’s Win a Quiet Life in 2014 monthly promotion, can be seen at www.quietmark.com
John Lewis
*John Lewis operates 42 John Lewis shops across the UK (31 department stores, ten John Lewis at home and a shop at Heathrow Terminal 2) as well as Johnlewis.com. It is part of the John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s largest example of worker co-ownership where all 91,000 staff are Partners in the business.
John Lewis, ‘Multichannel Retailer of the Year 2014′[1], ‘Best Overall Retailer'[2] and ‘Best Retailer 2013′[3], typically stocks more than 350,000 separate lines in its department stores across fashion, home and technology. Johnlewis.com stocks over 250,000 products, and is consistently ranked one of the top online shopping destinations in the UK. John Lewis Insurance offers a range of comprehensive insurance products – home, car, wedding and event, travel and pet insurance and life cover – delivering the values of expertise, trust and customer service expected from the John Lewis brand.
[1]Oracle Retail Week Awards 2014
[2]Verdict Consumer Satisfaction Awards 2014
[3]Which? Awards 2013
You can follow John Lewis on the following social media channels:
www.johnlewis.com/twitter
www.johnlewis.com/facebook
www.johnlewis.com/youtube
About the Noise Abatement Society
The remit of this national charity is to abate excessive and unnecessary noise to protect the public and improve the aural environment. Working with Government and Industry for more than fifty years the Noise Abatement Society has achieved a reputation for collaborative partnerships to find practical solutions to noise problems, underscored by programmes to raise awareness and educate about measured, considered and responsible use of sound. www.noiseabatementsociety.com
About Chestnut Tree House children’s hospice
Chestnut Tree House provides specialist palliative care services to children and young people with life-shortening and life-threatening illnesses in East Sussex, West Sussex and South East Hampshire.
As well as caring for over 280 children and young adults from 0-25 years of age, Chestnut Tree House offers support for the whole family including psychological and bereavement support, end of life and short break care and sibling support.
It costs almost £3 million each year to provide all our care services. Families are never charged for their care and the hospice receives less than 8% from central government, so it relies heavily on the generosity, help and support of the local community.
www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk
Contact: Janet Parsons, Head of Communications on 01903 706319 or email [email protected]
Quiet Mark Press contacts
Liberate Media:
Lloyd Gofton – mobile +44 (0)7919 353484; Email: [email protected]
Jeremy Lloyd – mobile +44 (0)7554 443520; Email: [email protected]