Phillies Café
Location: Radlett
Client: Aldenham Parish Council
Contractor: Lifebuild
Completion: October 2024
Value: £1m
Structure, Setting, and Simplicity
Phillies Café in Radlett is a carefully considered building that sits comfortably within its parkland setting, offering a calm and welcoming presence. Designed to connect people with nature, the café’s layout and material choices encourage a fluid relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces. Its open-plan interior leads directly onto a wide terrace, allowing the activity of the café to spill naturally into the surrounding landscape.
A key architectural feature is the use of glulam timber beams, which form the café’s primary structure. These engineered wooden elements are left exposed, celebrating their craftsmanship and lending warmth and texture to the space. The glulam frame creates a clear rhythm, defining the building’s form while supporting a generous overhang that shelters the outdoor seating area.
Natural materials, extensive glazing, and a low-profile roofline ensure that the café feels open, light, and unobtrusive. Inside, the use of timber, glass, and polished concrete reflects the tones of the landscape, while large openings frame views and provide a constant visual connection to the park.
Overall, Phillies Café is a modest but thoughtfully designed structure — one that enhances its setting and offers a relaxed, open environment for visitors to enjoy throughout the year.