The unique tessellating paving to the Grade II listed Civic Square in Plymouth has been completed!
The distinctive pattern was inspired by the original design by Geoffrey Jellicoe, framing the baroque gardens and creating a playful surface.
As part of our landscape upgrade work at ARC Oxford, we have transformed a shady lawn in the middle of a car park into an animated and functional pocket park. This serves the recently re-purposed office and lab space on site, providing a vibrant amenity space on their doorstep.
Only 18 x 16 metres in size, we carefully re-designed the space to incorporate the existing Cherry trees, creating a central space with tables and benches encouraging social activity, bordered by grasses and colourful perennials with a focus on planting for pollinators.
Pioneer Group, working with Macgregor Smith and Corstorphine & Wright, have been granted planning approval by Cambridge City Council to convert a declining retail shopping centre into a mixed-use scheme providing in-demand life science lab space and a new, high-quality retail environment.
Alongside renovation of the existing centre, an enhanced and multi-functional public realm will be delivered that provides a new north-south connection and external public square, drawing on the heritage of the Kite area of the City and responding to the typology of intimate pedestrianised shopping streets found throughout Cambridge.
Read all about the project here.
We’re delighted to share our latest Heddon Street project, a wonderful collaboration with the talented team at Meristem Design!
Together, we’ve brought a fresh, lively feel to this urban space by introducing an array of vibrant planters. Whether you’re a local or simply passing through, come and experience the beauty of nature in the heart of the London!
Macgregor Smith recently worked with Down to Earth to create an outdoor-based Wellbeing and Healthcare Facility within the grounds of University Hospital Llandough.
The 14-acre site near Cardiff will feature a landmark Therapy Centre built entirely from natural materials and surrounded by an edible landscape. The outdoor activity centre will give patients the opportunity to help with the development of the site landscaping and construction of the therapy facilities, as well as the enjoyment and maintenance of the site. Down to Earth’s approach of getting people working outdoors with nature has been clinically proven to boost mental health and is as effective as anti-depressants – without the side effects.
Installation of the whole scheme and all future landscape management will be undertaken by volunteers, including food growing and harvesting from the vegetable plots, forest garden and orchards, bee keeping and meadow management. It aims to give patients and staff a unique space where they can escape the noise of the hospital and enjoy the fresh air with their visitors.
Temporary artworks have now been installed on and above Milsom Street and Kingsmead Square, designed by artist Zoe Power. These vibrant installations form part of a wider street dressing and High Street renewal programme being implemented by B&NES. The artworks draw on some of the historic and current uses and characteristics of both Milsom Quarter and Kingsmead Square.
Macgregor Smith helped to prepare the artist brief for both Milsom Quarter and Kingsmead Square in close collaboration with B&NES. For further information please see Zoe Power’s website and B&NES Press release.
Everards Printworks has been named as one of only three recipients of this year’s Bristol Civic Society Design Awards.
The panel of judges commended the re-development of the old NatWest site for its sensitive integration of the beautiful Everard’s Printing Works façade and making a significant positive contribution to the public realm, in what until recently felt like a neglected and underused part of the Bristol’s historic centre.
The design awards recognise developments in Bristol that are visible from a public place and make a positive contribution to the local environment through design excellence. Bristol Civic Society is an independent, voluntary organisation that exists to improve Bristol’s built environment and celebrate its heritage.
Everards Printworks was also shortlisted for the Award for Best Use of Heritage in Placemaking at the National Planning Awards in June 2023.
As part of our continued partnership with the University of Bath’s Department of Architecture and their ‘Regenerative Cities’ projects, we are delighted to have chosen the winner for our Landscape and Public Realm Award 2023.
This year’s award goes to Will Allen, Mohit Buch, Isabell Czech, Kieran Mckenna, Frankie Prinsloo and Chew Shan Wei – for their ‘Udaipur, India’ group project.
The team’s project delivered a clear approach to regenerate and redefine this part of Udaipur which was communicated through a very clear process addressing the city context, specific response to place, clarity and energy of graphics and illustrations, creative initiatives with strategies that draw out the special qualities of the city.
The restoration of Geoffrey Jellicoe’s tessellating paving in the Grade II listed Civic Square at the heart of Plymouth is underway.
The design has looked to restore the unique patterned surface in granite setts in varying sizes, creating a carpet of tessellating ‘bow ties’ that will encircle the central baroque gardens. The gardens themselves will also be renovated to return the southern end of the Civic Square to its former glory.
Future phases of regeneration will look to restore the Dragon fly pond walls, define a new designated cycle way, new trees, and recycled benches!
Macgregor Smith’s long-standing client British Land has secured planning approval for Broadway Connection in Ealing – a major office-led mixed use regeneration scheme located within the town centre.
The proposals will deliver a multi-layered landscape providing distinct character areas. Our public realm approach looks to restore the fine urban grain and vibrancy of the original Broadway, whilst also drawing on the area’s rich history around the former Lyric theatre and building on Ealing’s identity as the green and leafy ‘Queen of the suburbs’.
Macgregor Smith were appointed by Hammerson to create ambitious proposals for a new roof terrace as part of their exciting mixed-use scheme ‘Drum’ at Birmingham’s Grand Central.
Working alongside Make Architects, this dynamic repurposing of the former John Lewis department store as office and retail space has health, wellbeing and social amenity firmly at its core.
The terrace repurposes an existing rooftop car park and its design focuses on creating a series of flexible, comfortable, and intimate amenity spaces with fantastic views of the city centre.
The landscape proposals put nature front and centre with intensive planting, green walls and extensive areas of biodiversity roof incorporated into the design.
Planning for the scheme was approved by Birmingham City Council in March 2023.
A huge congratulations to Yushi who has successfully passed her P2C exam and is now a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute! Yushi put in a huge amount of effort and studied hard over the past few years so this is very much deserved!
The latest phases of Shanghai Business Park are now nearing completion. Through close collaboration with our Chinese partners and client team we have developed a riparian setting for a high-tech business campus which integrates office space, retail, F&B and connections via a metro station back into central Shanghai. Phases 4,5 & 6 features a riparian waterside setting which meanders through the hi-tech park, leading to pause points and civic spaces. Curving bridges connect the building plots together. Overlooking the northern civic space is a series of roof gardens which feature cafe spill out space set within semi-intensive and extensive planting. The images show phase 4 with images of the lake and lakeside gardens to follow (phase 5).
We are absolutely delighted that Buckler’s Park & Forest in Crowthorne has been shortlisted in the Excellence in Health and Wellbeing category at this years Landscape Institute Awards! The ceremony takes place at the end of November so we have our fingers crossed for another win! You can read all about the scheme here.
We are delighted to see the St Mark’s Student Quarter in Lincoln nearing completion and looking great! Designed for the University of Lincoln and Aberdeen Standard, St. Mark’s is a student residential scheme close to the centre of Lincoln and its growing University. 10 residential buildings are focused around a series of communal courtyards, with the landscape design taking inspiration from the site’s former use as sidings on the approach to the historic St. Mark’s railway station. The habit of old railway sidings evolving into linear woodlands which host a rich ecological tapestry has been reflected in the planting strategy for the project, with naturally regenerating ornamental grasses, pioneer tree species and shade tolerant flowering perennials creating a series of intimate garden spaces.
Seren Swansea is looking great in the summer sunshine with the planting in full bloom. The Fusion Student project was completed towards the end of 2021 and has hosted its first residents this term.
The landscape proposals were centered on developing a coherent identity for the development, and ensuring its integration as a vibrant and viable new destination for students to meet, be entertained and socialize.
Zhaoxiang Park is one of a number of interesting new projects which we are working on in Shanghai. The project is a new development which houses high tech businesses and integral to that is an interconnected landscape with a series of garden spaces. Each garden space has a unique character and use, whether it be the ‘Hilltop Garden’ which is a quiet tranquil space or the ‘Central Lawns’ which can host events and activities. The Landscape also provides a running and exercise track which meanders through a densely treed landscape.
We are delighted that The Bargate Quarter scheme in Southampton has been granted planning permission, with the Planning Committee voting unanimously in its favour. The project is uniquely set alongside the medieval Old Town Walls and the new scheme creates a series of public gardens and a new pedestrianised street within the heart of Southampton. While this development is now residential lead, it still provides much needed connections east – west and north – south from the City’s parks and along the High Street. The new garden street provides access all the way around this section of the Old Town Wall and provides opportunity to view the wall from positions and angles which haven’t been seen by the public for over 30 years.
