Garden Club London win Built Environment Award for Floating Park

BALI Registered Contractor Garden Club London are delighted to have won the Built Environment Award at the Canal and River Trust Awards 2018, for their Floating Pocket Park in Paddington Basin, London. Designed by RHS Chelsea Gold medal winner Tony Woods, the complex floating landscape build was completed in Summer 2017 and is open to the public.

The Living Waterways Awards shine a spotlight on the amazing work done by individuals, communities and organisations to create vibrant, thriving, living waterways that are transforming places and enriching lives.

Commenting on the achievement, Tony said: “We are thrilled to be recognised by such a well-respected authority, who we had to work closely with throughout the design, planning and build process, to minimise environmental impact.”

The intention was to create a space that would bring together the neighbouring communities of office workers and residents and provide a space for visitors to enjoy the area. The brief requested that the space encouraged interaction with the water.

The design we devised was for a series of floating garden areas, connected by walkways. This gives a sense of the garden having a series of pools set within and around it, rather than covering the mass of water as one area. A decked area, covered with pergolas and shade sails, provides a space for events, pop-ups and for outdoor working, with the opportunity for local office workers to take advantage of free Wi-Fi. As you explore the space further, you discover two large areas of lawn, planter beds, trees and benches providing a family friendly space to relax, play and for picnics or lunch away from the office.

The Floating Pocket Park at Merchant Square is a hugely popular addition to London’s green space and is open to the public all year round.

Landscape Architect Ben Dewhirst commented “We are very happy for the Floating Pocket Park to be recognised for what is an extremely unique project and for reactivating this historically significant part of London. Blue space design is something we’ll have to consider more in the future and we hope the FPP can serve as a reputable precedent.”