OUR APPROACH
We started by looking at what was already there — including the materials beneath our feet.
During the groundworks, valuable topsoil was retained and materials that would ordinarily have left site as waste were given another purpose. Surplus soil, rubble and logs were moved to the perimeter of the health centre and used to create a biodiversity trail of sculpted landforms, habitat piles and native wildflowers.
Very little needed to leave the site. At the heart of the project, we created a series of spaces for playing, exploring, eating, learning, meeting and simply taking some time out.
The result is a garden that works hard without feeling like it does.
GROWING, PLAYING & EXPLORING
The landscape itself becomes part of the play.
Food growing runs throughout the garden. Apple, cherry, plum and medlar trees form an edible canopy, with herbs and edible perennials growing underneath. As the garden matures, there will be more to discover, pick and taste throughout the seasons.
Play was approached in much the same way. Rather than creating a conventional playground, large boulders, substantial oak structures and steel elements give children opportunities to climb, balance and use their imagination.
A sensory nature trail winds through the garden, with carved timber totems by Steve Williams encouraging children to touch, look and explore.
SPACES FOR PEOPLE
The garden needed to work for very different people.
Two steel garden cabins provide sheltered spaces that can be used for one-to-one assessments, quieter moments or imaginative play. Blackboard walls give children another opportunity to draw, make marks and interact with their surroundings.
For staff, the garden has become somewhere to step away from the clinical environment, eat lunch or simply spend a little time outdoors during the working day.
These quieter uses of the garden are just as important as the more visible ones.
BUILDING WITH WHAT WE HAD
One of the things we’re proudest of in this project is what didn’t leave the site.
Soil, rubble, timber and other materials generated during construction were reused wherever possible rather than treated as waste. Around the health centre, those materials now form landforms and habitats that support wildflowers, insects and other wildlife.
It’s a simple idea: before bringing something new onto a site, look carefully at what is already there and ask what else it could become.
THE OUTCOME
What was once an underused area of grass has become a living part of the health centre.
Children waiting for appointments can get outside to climb, forage, explore and play. Families have somewhere more welcoming to spend time together. Staff use the garden for lunch and breaks. And around them, the planting and habitats continue to establish and attract more life.
Importantly, the garden isn’t meant to stay exactly as it was on the day we finished. Fruit trees will grow. Planting will spread. Habitats will develop. People will use the space in ways we couldn’t have predicted. That’s part of the point.
This is a garden designed to be used, cared for and changed by the people — and wildlife — that make it their home.
GALLERY
Moments from the project.
The garden has become a space that children, families and staff can really enjoy. It’s brought nature into the heart of the health centre and made it feel like a much more welcoming place.
START A PROJECT
Have a landscape that could work harder?
From therapeutic and community landscapes to private gardens — tell us about your space and we’ll help you see what it could become.