One of our roof gardens in Kensington.

We had an opportunity to design a roof garden. The brief is family friendly roof garden featuring water as much as it’s aural as for its visual.  The garden is about 7m x 10m. Bringing the influence of the architecture of the house by using reclaimed bricks as a backdrop. And the influence of the interior design by using large glass doors concertina back to open the interior to the garden, blurring the boundary between inside and outside by continuing the limestone paving from the inside to the outside to create a single continuous space when the door open to the roof garden.  Interrupting the limestone with Ipe hardwood which creates an interesting contrust and bring out the richness of then paving area. The ipe decking is quite a good material to use as it’s very durable, safe in the way that you don’t have to worry about splinters and looks a million dollar.  Even if you have next to nothing budget and want to have a nice decking, it’s worth investing in using a good hardwood decking rather than the usual cheap ones.

Different types of materials are often used to define space in a large landscape or commercial schemes especially residential development.  They are normally to define, public space, semi public space or private area for each blocks or house.  This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a different type of material in small or private schemes.

In this scheme, we use decking to define a barbecue area, while lime stone acts as a continuation of the internal lounge area.  It is important to leave a clean apron of space between the house and the planting.

The outcome of this project brings such satisfaction to the clients because of the true combination of rich planting with the impeccable hard landscaping.  I just know that this garden will be the entertaining space of the parents, the area of exploration of the children, and most importantly it will be a joy to watch grow, flower and go over, a testament to time passing…until they decide to move away.

Why do you need a landscape architect?

The most valuable contribution of landscape architect is often is often made at the earliest stage of a project in generating ideas and bringing flair and creativity to the use of space. The landscape architect can:

• contribute to the overall concept
• prepare an initial master plan, from which detailed designs can subsequently be prepared
• let and supervise contracts for construction work

It’s worth having someone who knows what they are doing acts on your behalf to the contractor, I find.

This is because entrance into the profession requires advanced education, training, and licensure in most countries.

Landscape architects normally works in conjunction with the architects in a new schemes. Which is always a good idea as you can incorporate the interior and exterior from the outset  But this not essential as any good landscape architects should try to echo the interior to the exterior and continue the inside to the outside.

A lot of people think that employing a landscape architect is too expensive, too bigger deal and their backyard is too small. And it turns out that in fact, to employ any old builders who are not used to external works is a false economy, especially when you don’t have any background knowledge about external constructions.  And really, it makes a lot of hard works for us to have to correct the mess and then redo the whole thing all together. THAT is when the project becomes expensive…so the Landscape architects get the blame.

Designing roof gardens.

Roof gardens are architectural spaces, requiring careful consideration of both form and function, and the appropriate selection of materials, textures and finishes. Lighting, sound, heating, irrigation and other services may also need to be considered.

Statutory approval for roof gardens will almost certainly be required, and London’s Mayor has given his personal endorsement in no less than three of his objectives in The London Plan for green roofs and roof gardens. Then methodical engineering calculations will determine whether strengthening of the existing roof structure will be required (and it is surprising how light the modern materials are).  Normally this is part of landsxcpae architeure services to give you

To me, the key to its success apart from a clear orchestral design aspect is the fact that the garden serves the purpose of an outdoor entertaining area to the maximum.  Its design is timeless, enough to go with the trendiest ‘The roof garden’ bar and restaurant.  The magnificent and gigantic planting scheme would not have happened without a big help from a good roof garden foundation and construction.

In my experience, a lot of our clients were surprised by what you can do in the roof garden, apart from the usual pot plantings and trellis.  This is the area where I would say worth spending money on getting a specialist such as good landscape architects such as ourselves (of course!) to help maximize what you can achieve in the garden with their knowledge.

It’s not unusual for us anymore to create a small putting green on the roof garden that also serves the purpose of an ordinary lawn area for the kids.  Our recent projects are the living proof of making use of the space for every member of the family.  Because of the hassle of moving, our clients tend to settle on the idea of maximize the potential of their properties until it becomes necessary to move.

Not every garden is south facing and flat.  Some are tricky and need a little bit more than creativity on Sunday afternoon.

Give us a call.

Timeless Gardens

The ideas of timeless gardens don’t have to be traditional formal gardens. And the idea of adventurous doesn’t imply to shiny stainless steel planters contrasting with bright blue wall.

It means that you dare to be different and accept the fact that sometime you actually don’t want a cottage colourful garden. You want a clean entertaining area.   Simple plants with clear architectural lines with a few principal elements, but best quality elements are the winning formula. The crisp, geometric lines of design should be blurred at the edge by the organic form of planting and other naturalistic elements.  The balance between the two will create tension and ever lasting interest.

Low maintenance garden- International twist.

I  see the changes in our clients recently, especially the ones who travel for a living or have to go abroad frequent enough to notice and absorb the new, the different and the experimental from other countries and culture.  They tend to appreciate and be a lot more ambitious in terms of wanting to push the design of their gardens to the maximum.  They appreciate and see plants as only one of the materials to be used and manipulated in creating atmosphere, mood, pleasure, drama, fun and excitement.

The idea is to step back and rethink about the design approach to the garden, to move away from English cottage garden stereotype if you are not a keen plants person or have a hectic lifestyle. And be brave enough move  towards a functional garden design..No I’m not talking about the weird and wacky design neither.

I always keep in contact with our clients after the completion of the project.  It’s the only way to learn from our own mistakes, in find, and develop ourselves.  Most of our clients highlight the fact that low maintenance gardens had significantly improved their quality of life.  They feel the sense of belonging to the garden and comfortable to use them as one of the rooms in the houses. Because the garden doesn’t belong to the plants person only, it belongs to all member of the family.

The Kensington Roof Gardens

It has been there for a long time..

It is in fact London’s oldest and best roof garden, still known to many as ‘Derry and Toms Roof Garden’, recalling the name of the department store which commissioned the garden.

The reason I’m writing about it is because I think it received a bad press recently especially amongst the locals who made complaints to the local council about the noise after the club closes.  A fair point I must add, but I prefer to concentrate on its amazing history and what it really was and still is.

The garden covers 1.5 acres and is located 100ft above street level. It has ponds, bridges, walks, trees, shrubs and sitting areas, with a pronounced Arts and Crafts character. There is an English Woodland Garden with nearly 100 species of tree, Spanish Garden with fountains and Walled Tudor Garden.

It started off with Trevor Bowen, chairman of the John Barker Company, owners of Derry and Toms department store in Kensington High Street, was so impressed by the roof gardens on the eleventh floor of the Rockefeller Centre in NYC, that he commissioned their designer Ralph Hancock to build similar gardens above Derry and Toms in Kensington.

These 3 gardens were set on a thick bitumastic base with hardcore and a 36 inch layer of topsoil. The gardens were completed in 1938 at a cost on £25.000 and were officially opened by the Earl of Athlone. Following a checkered history, the gardens were purchased in 1986 by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group and form part of the Babylon restaurant and night club, they have since been awarded Grade II listing by English Heritage. The Gardens have recently been refurbished and restored to as they looked in 1938.

These beautiful gardens do not seem like they were on top of a building in central London especially when you find not just one but a few flamingo wondering around the garden freely.

It does take your breath away…and for the right reason…..

Address – 99 High Street, Kensington, London, Greater London, England, W8 5SA
Opening times – Open to the public unless there is a private event. Telephone before making a visit. Call 020 7937 7994 Monday to Friday, or 020 7368 3993 on Weekends.
Admission – Free

Outdoor.

I still see a lot of construction going on around where I live, I suppose it is still a good time to write about the outdoor space.

As a landscape architect, I always get a lot of questions about materials to be used  outdoors, from roof garden to back garden.  My preferences are always decking and limestone paving.

For decking, not just any old deck, but it has to a fully treated timber, Grade 1 Southern Yellow Pine. This type of  timber comes from managed and sustainable forests and has a guarantee of 40 years against rot or decay.  You can order online at www.outdoordeck.co.uk  I have used them a great deal lot, they have good service, deliver on time and are very reliable.  Mike Wilderink, Managing Director of the company is very hands on and passionate about their product.  I must say that their website looks pretty old fashioned, and I’m not quite sure why. But if you call and ask for a sample to be sent to you, I’m sure they will do that without any problem.

Good decking looks stylish, blends well with the environment and suits traditional as well as contemporary architecture. It is a quality product that will last a lifetime and is therefore excellent value for money. It is easy to look after, can be painted or stained to choice or left to weather naturally. Decking is warm underfoot and can extend the living area of the house into the garden.  So even in the winter, the fully treated timber will not frost over or get too cold for your feet.

But if you really fancy paving materials, I would recommend Basalt (volcanic lavastone) or the likes of Corcovado limestone, honed finish, 600×600.  I like square pavings.  You can visit www.limestonegallery.co.uk  Again, I used them a lot in the past and they never fail to satisfy and impress me.  If you want to see more and enjoy looking at paving materials, they have the most amazing ‘gallery’ I have ever seen.  As a landscape architect, whenever I get to visit their showroom, I call it my ‘day out fun’.

You can even mix timber and limestone as well to add something interesting to the area.  There is lots of funs to be had from outdoor space design.  But you really cannot cut any corners though, because when we are talking external space, whatever materials you choose have to be durable and tolerate all kinds of weather for years to come.

You really get what you pay for.

 

 

VenueSpace

Circulation is the key.

We were invited to my son’s birthday party at the Westbourne Grove church hall, quite an interesting choice after all other usual commercial places. What a pleasantly surprise we had.

The venue was well signed. The entrance was clean, well lid, and wide enough to bring many prams in (at the same time) and with enough space to park them. How refreshing. In these days and age,  I don’t think we can pretend that pram does not exist anymore, so any venue that accommodate them gets my top marks already.

The venue was big enough to accommodate a big bouncy castle, a good sized space for entertainer, food corner, presents area (very important as I have known a few incidents involve missing presents or tantrum over one), and a big eating area for kids.  The kitchen area was kept nice and tidy and out of the way, yet not too far.

There was a space for everyone to circulate, which includes mums, dads, siblings, and staffs. I can see that the venue could work for many types of events, not just birthday party.  The good time was had by all. And I will certainly consider this venue for my son’s birthday.

A low maintenance garden

We are often asked to design a ‘low maintenance garden’.  What is the low maintenance garden and how it will thrive with low maintenance garden care.

The options open to you are varied, but I will mention a few points that all contribute to a generally low-maintenance approach.

First, an area where you can sit and relax that has some form of permanent, easy to maintain, hard surface. In a very low-maintenance approach in a small urban garden, the entire plot can be turned into a hard-surfaced patio and use planters, but in a larger garden it would be prohibitively expensive to pave the entire area, and expansive area of hard paving might be too harsh and not consider to make the best of the garden.

Second, the planting can be much easier to look after if you plan it carefully. Evergreens are generally easier to look after than deciduous plants (less pruning, no sweeping up of leaves). Shrub borders and ground-covering perennials are the easiest options but it is vital that you choose plants that are appropriate for the climate and soil conditions, so that they thrive when left largely to their own devices. To this end, you also need to choose plants that are not too invasive or too fast-growing. This may sound very obvious to you, but believe me a lot of people are still make this type mistakes and the person who suffer are people who have to maintain it later on. This makes a garden a space that you can’t fully relax and more over a place where’s a duty anf jobs involved.

Third, water features are surprisingly low-maintenance if its constructed properly and they are a great visual asset in gardens in which hard surfaces predominate. Anyone opting for the hard surface solution would be well-advised to include a water feature to go with it, as the sound and movement of the water helps to counteract the rigidity of hard surfacing materials.

Your low-maintenance plans and solutions will depend on the size of your garden, your lifestyle, how much time you have, whether you have a small amount of time to spare regularly or you simply want to reduce the labor involved in an existing garden or create a low-maintenance garden from scratch. Turning an existing labor-intensive garden into a low-maintenance one clearly takes some initial work and it needs to be done properly but once the job is done, you then save yourself a great deal of time and worry later on.

Tips of our successful gardens in my experience, is that the garden should age well.  Not in the way that plants manage to fill up the space but the basis of the design for overall garden should be ageless, not over-furnished nor over decorated.  If the gardens’ owners feel comfortable to look at and to use the gardens for over a period of time, I call that a successful garden.

Science Museum

Have you been to the Science Museum lately?

 You must.

And I am sure there are more to explore at the Science Museum, but we spent the whole rainy afternoon in ‘The Garden’.

OK, a few parents with kids under the age of 3 might have heard of ‘The Garden’.  I did but then I forgot how much fun my sons had.  So I will put it in writing and share it with you for rainy days when you really run out of ideas to entertain your little ones.

Where can I start at ‘The Garden’?  According to the museum’s website ‘The Garden is an interactive gallery created especially for our very youngest visitors.’  For those you have never been to, no, ‘The garden’ is not a garden. It locates on the basement of the museum, indoor.  It’s a room.

They have a place to park your pram right opposite the room. Your little ones will get to wear a little waterproof gown (but you should bring spare clothes anyway, they always manage to make a mess of themselves, don’t they).  Children are free to explore all of the areas at will.

They have giant building blocks and lifting and pulling machines (very suitable for the under 5s) in the construction area.  The water area where they can explore floating and sinking (this is where they might get a bit wet). The light and sound area; where they explore the reflections, the echo of sounds, shadow and many many more. My one year old seems to make use of this light and sound area more than others.

So there is something for everyone.  What impressed me most are the staffs.  You can not miss them, they wear red t-shirt.  To me, it was like having helping hands with kids, especially on the weekdays when there are less people (and no hubby around to help).  They are so helpful and gentle towards kids (and mums).  And on this occasion, they helped us lure our little monsters out of the gallery so we could go home already!

• Location : Basement,Science Museum.
• Suggested duration : 45 minutes
• Open : Permanent
• Cost: Free