Designed to enhance the public realm, our sustainable landscape strategy for bustling North London’s The Roundway utilised engaging street frontage, a biodiverse planting scheme and enhanced communal amenity areas to create a series of symbiotic spaces that improved wellbeing for residents of all ages and abilities.

The location had a number of existing high quality, urban green spaces, and we drew inspiration from the local vernacular in respect of materials as well as surrounding spaces; including communal front gardens, the residential scale, allotments and play areas.

We aimed to provide amenity spaces that added to, rather than replicated, the existing provision, on a site which sat as a break in what was otherwise better-quality space. Creating visual links through the site, enhancing the streetscape and activating both the site and adjacent public realm, our dynamic landscape strategy and design incorporated:

(i) Street Frontage: high quality and engaging; allowing people to be and stay in the environment more comfortably

(ii) Main Courtyard: a biodiverse yet elegant space that provided a green link through the site, small-scale walkability and the potential for use by multiple residents simultaneously

(iii) Church Lane: a more residential scale garden with dense play facilities and a more domestic scale frontage

(iv) Front Gardens: actively engage with the streetscape rather than hide from it

(v) Roof Terraces: provide residents with an extra benefit, in the same way that the estates beyond designed communal spaces to add an extra layer of open space for residents. We designed these rooftops to have a combination of amenity space, play space and urban growing opportunities.

The communal amenity spaces act as a back garden for residents and provide an opportunity for play. This multi-functional design accommodates a variety of users at different times throughout the day.

Our play strategy moved beyond traditional play equipment to create an inclusive multi-generational play environment that fulfilled every element of sustainability; resulting in spaces that enhance wellbeing and community, promote and increase biodiversity and provide comfortable and existing places to be.