Join us for a captivating webinar, brought to you in collaboration with Medite Smartply, on mastering the art of designing versatile outdoor spaces.
Repurposing Outdoor Spaces for Optimal Urban Home Experience
As city life becomes increasingly prevalent, the sustainability and overall quality of urban living hinges on the quality of the outdoor spaces that connect communities and neighborhoods. Our panel of experts at this Architecture Today webinar, sponsored by Medite Smartply, shared different strategies to maximize the environmental, practical, and societal value of the public realm.
Speakers (from left to right): David Murray, Ewan Oliver, Harriet Bourne, Sarah Eberle, Steve Jackson-Matthews
Harriet Bourne, director at BBUK, showcased her work on the public realm, communal spaces, and private gardens for three high-profile projects: Abode, a development of 306 homes at Great Kneighton, on the outskirts of Cambridge by Proctor and Matthews; the White Collar Factory, just off London’s Old Street by AHMM; and Goldsmith Street, the Stirling Prize-winning Passivhaus residential project by Mikhail Riches.
BBUK alongside Mikhail Riches designed the public realm, communal amenity spaces, and private rear and front gardens for Goldsmith Street in Norwich. Photo: Tim Crocker
The main takeaway from her presentation was the importance of an enlightened highways engineer in creating spaces that can accommodate cars while remaining Sociable, Accessible, Safe, and Prioritizing pedestrians.
The Claypits, a 17-hectare site in Glasgow, transform from a previously contaminated area to the city's only inner-city nature reserve, thanks to the collaboration between LUC, Scottish Canals, and LDN Architects. Photo: LUC
Steve Jackson-Matthews, Board Director for Ecology at LUC, highlighted the current biodiversity crisis, with the UK losing over 50% of its natural biodiversity in recent centuries and the nation being in the bottom 10% of G7 countries for biodiversity intactness. However, he also emphasized the array of tools available for designers and clients to reverse this trend, promising a potential future revolution of our urban landscapes so long as they're approached with honesty, stamp out greenwash, and progress at the same pace together.
Medite Smartply offers a groundbreaking construction material, MTX (MEDITE TRICOYA EXTREME). Photo: courtesy of Medite Smartply
David Murray, Head of Technical Affairs and Ireland Sales at Medite Smartply shared details on MTX, a durable, stable material ideal for outdoor applications. He ran through various sculptures, seating, signage, and structures built using MTX, demonstrating the open doors it presents for landscape design and the public realm.
The 2021 RHS Chelsea Flower Show saw the triumphant showcase of Sarah Eberle's MEDITE SMARTPLY Building the Future Garden, which celebrated sustainability, longevity, and wellness. Photo: Sarah Eberle
The event concluded with Sarah Eberle, garden designer and multiple RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winner, who presented her designs for the stunning MEDITE SMARTPLY Building the Future Garden, a highlight of this year's show.
Elephant Park in London's Southwark features green spaces, event areas, and community gardens, showcasing the evolution of the landscape masterplan as concerns over climate change grow. Design and construction were managed by Lendlease. Photo: courtesy of Lendlease
Finally, Ewan Oliver, Public Realm Development Manager at Lendlease, explained the transformation of the Elephant Park landscape masterplan in response to escalating concerns over climate change and city resilience, emphasizing the project’s commitment to prioritizing people and nature.
- The importance of creating outdoor spaces that support sustainable living and accommodate cars while prioritizing pedestrians was underscored by Harriet Bourne, director at BBUK.
- Steve Jackson-Matthews, Ecology Board Director for LUC, spoke about the biodiversity crisis, emphasizing the need for designers and clients to work together to reverse the trend, which promises a potential revolution of our urban landscapes.
- David Murray, Head of Technical Affairs and Ireland Sales at Medite Smartply, highlighted MTX, a durable and stable material perfect for outdoor applications, and the various outdoor structures built using MTX that demonstrate its potential for landscape design.
- Sarah Eberle, a garden designer and multiple RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winner, showcased her designs for the MEDITE SMARTPLY Building the Future Garden, a sustainability-focused garden that celebrates longevity and wellness.
- Ewan Oliver, Public Realm Development Manager at Lendlease, discussed the transformation of the Elephant Park landscape masterplan in response to escalating concerns over climate change and city resilience, highlighting the project’s commitment to prioritizing people and nature.
