LAMBETH LONDON,
MEADOW GARDEN
Pedestrian Rotary Gardens explores road traffic symbols in an extensive London public residential garden making a commentary on pace and movement in the city. The bold rotary symbols were played against a soft undulating meadow landscape with variable heights determined by mounds. The mounds have the purpose of creating privacy for the ground floor flats and a more interesting topography for the residents. The bold patterns were designed to be seen from above through windows and balconies in the 4-10 story residential blocks. The traffic symbols create several possibilities for different types of outdoor collective or private zones. The aim was to balance the natural and the artificial form of the paths.
The project was developed with local residents using participatory design methods in the design process. The design delivers a sustainable garden with a wild range of species and pollination to encourage wild life and bio diversity in the area. The design creates maximum ground permeability reducing the pressure on the existing Victorian sewage system in London. The studio believes in the need to design gardens more intelligently and more efficiently in terms of water management without the need for intensive maintenance. Future additions will be; allotment gardens, public furniture facilities such as seating, recycling facilities, bicycle parking, and a compost production area.
The project was developed in two phases with the initial triangular garden first. Two additional gardens were conceived to replace parking areas between four 10 storey towers. The parking was moved to the periphery to create real useable gardens. The gardens used a similar language with bold forms visible form above. The center oval and squares would be grass lawns for residents play and picnic on with shrubs trees and meadow around the outside paths. Two folly circles with benches on each add further interest for each garden.
