The landscape of water: From Bazalgette to SuDS in the City

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The landscape of water: From Bazalgette to SuDS in the City

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From Bazalgette to SuDS in the city

EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL Saira Ali, Team Leader, Landscape, Design and Conservation, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Stella Bland, Head of Communications, LDA Design Marc Tomes CMLI, Director, Allen Scott Landscape Architecture Sandeep Menon, Landscape Architect and University tutor, Manchester Metropolitan University Peter Sheard CMLI, Landscape Architect Jaideep Warya CMLI, Landscape Architect, Allies and Morrison Jane Findlay, PPLI, Director FIRA Landscape Architects LANDSCAPE INSTITUTE Editor: Paul Lincoln paul.lincoln@landscapeinstitute.org Copy Editor: Jill White Proof Reader: Johanna Robinson PR & Communications Manager: Josh Cunningham President-elect: Carolin Göhler CEO: Rob Hughes Head of Marketing, Communications and Events: Neelam Sheemar Landscapeinstitute.org @talklandscape landscapeinstitute landscapeinstituteUK

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Nearly ten years ago, past president Sue Illman together with 12 organisations wrote to the then prime minister, now Lord Cameron, calling for long-term planning to prevent the devastation caused by flooding.

Published on the front page of the Daily Telegraph on 20 February 2014, the letter was taken up widely by other media, including the Guardian, the Financial Times, the Western Morning News and the Today programme.

Over this decade there has been considerable development in the management of water, and the voice of the landscape profession has been heard on many occasions.

Sue Illman has continued to be a leader in demanding that sustainable drainage and flood prevention are top of the political agenda. In recognition of her pioneering work, Sue and her colleague Steve Wilson were awarded ‘Outstanding Contribution to SuDS’

by CIRIA.¹ To mark this important anniversary, Sue is guest editor for this edition of Landscape. She says, ‘After the disappointment of no change in policy for so many years, at last there is new hope. DEFRA has been working on legislation for the last eight months, in deep consultation with industry to ensure that it’s fit for purpose.

We have been fortunate to be able to learn from the experience of Wales after our failure; so, I have great hopes, but still await the outcome with some trepidation.'

This edition starts with the landscape of the Natural History Museum and the revolution in

SuDS. It revisits the esplanade at Dover; indulges in the joys of tidal swimming; and explores the infrastructure of water. We examine water management as part of HS2’s construction; and navigate the Woodberry Wetlands and the Lea Valley Ice Centre.

The research section looks at specifying the correct trees and the outcome of a project that evaluates the quality of soil used in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

And we hope that by the exact anniversary of Sue’s letter, there will be a clear way forward on the way in which SuDS is properly integrated into the landscape.

Paul Lincoln Editor The Construction Industry Research and Information Association.

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Cover image: Bazalgette, The Thames Embankment, 1867 (litho) Creator: English School, (19th century) © London Metropolitan Archives / Bridgeman Images

© 2023 Landscape Institute. Landscape is published four times a year by Darkhorse Design.

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Contents FEATURE

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SUDS REGULATION

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Natural History Museum development

SuDS special

Putting water at the heart of the Urban Nature Project

Sue Illman on the changing landscape of water management

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Multidisciplinary design Spotlight on the relationship between engineer and landscape architect

The art of natural flood management Calderdale showcase a new approach

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Scotland Wales England

CASE STUDIES

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Steart Coastal Management Project

Burton Washlands

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Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme 4

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Sidmouth amphitheatre

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SuDS for Schools

FEATURE

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Urban raingarden design

In the shadows of the River Buriganga

Dover Esplanade

Designing for drainage and irrigation

The city and its river

Tonkin Liu reflect on the Three Waves project

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Tide turners

Waste water infrastructure

A new Ice Age

Design for swimming

Embedding landscape design into infrastructure

Aiming to be the most sustainable ice centre in the UK RESEARCH

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Woodberry Wetlands

River Cole realignment

Tree planting in urban environments

Housing, leisure and nature in the capital

HS2’s investment in landscape-led design.

Highlighting research on ecosystem services

RESEARCH

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LI LIFE

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Manufactured topsoils

30th Anniversary LI Awards

Reviewing soil health in the Olympic Park ten years on

Three decades of connecting people, place and nature

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CAMPUS: Learn from anywhere

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New life for the landscape of the Natural History Museum

1. The Nature Discovery Garden includes the complex relocation of the pond. © Feilden Fowles and J&L Gibbons

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A carefully reconstructed pond is central to the development of the Urban Nature Project at the Natural History Museum.

Paul Lincoln interviews Victoria Sutherland, the project’s lead landscape architect.

1 Albertopolis is the name once given to the area centred on Exhibition Road in London, named after Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria.

The Natural History Museum together with the V&A and the Science Museum are at the heart of London’s original ‘Albertopolis’1 museum district in South Kensington. Although many museums in the area have undergone significant investment, this transformation includes not only two new buildings but also a complete reimagining of its five-acre gardens to create an accessible, biologically diverse educational green space in the heart of the capital.

The project will transform grounds which have often been overlooked by visitors into an outdoor extension of the Museum, telling the story of the way in which the planet is changing over time. The plan is to allow new areas of habitat to flourish, create an open-air laboratory where Museum

scientists can study urban wildlife and create a significant amenity for visitors, especially young people.

The design team includes architects Feilden Fowles and landscape architects J&L Gibbons.

They have worked with the Museum’s scientists to develop a series of outdoor living galleries. Set in the landscape are two new buildings: the Nature Activity Centre and Garden Kitchen.

The project revisits the existing green space and is designed to protect and increase biodiversity on the site, extending and enhancing woodland, grassland, scrub, fen, reedbed, hedgerow, and wetlands. The scheme also includes the reconfiguration of the existing pond.

The gardens are arranged thematically into two areas.

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The Evolution Garden is an educational experience for visitors telling the story of time, from the Cambrian period 540 million years ago to the present day, through geology, planting, and interpretive exhibits. The Nature Discovery Garden, which is already home to thousands of species of British flora and fauna, will explore the impact of humanity through a series of habitats.

Within the Nature Discovery Garden, the Darwin Centre Courtyard explores ‘future nature’ through emergent and pioneer species, and possible approaches to climate adaptation, resilient communities, and promoting improved biodiversity within our cities.

Victoria Sutherland outlined the project to date and explained that there was an existing but little-known wildlife garden. ‘The wildlife garden itself was conceived in 1995. It was intended as a microcosm of the major UK habitats, so it showcased woodland, wetland, grasslands, and heath. These habitats have evolved

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and adapted to the particular site conditions there, including the significant overshadowing created by the mature perimeter plane trees which were planted when the Museum was built. Some habitats have done really well, others, for example the heath, less well.’

‘At the heart of the landscape is an existing pond,’ explained Victoria.

‘Although the pond was doing well and was thriving, the pond liner had come to the end of its life. This project has taken the opportunity to replace this liner and improve accessibility around the pond in the process. The new design for the pond brings the water up to create what is a sunken pathway between the pond water bodies so that, for instance, a child in a wheelchair would be able to sit comfortably, lean over and participate in pond dipping activities.’

As the existing pond habitat was functioning well and there was a desire to minimise disruption, a translocation strategy was put in place. Ecologists collected the water, silt, vegetation,

and pond life, putting them into temporary storage tanks in another part of the gardens.

Victoria noted that the reconstructed pond had been designed to be larger than the original by around 25%. ‘We’re pleased to say that it’s been a great success. The pond is more diverse than it would have been as a brand-new pond without the material being translocated back in.’

One aspect of the project’s sustainability ambitions was to reduce water demand, so planting palettes were developed both to cope with a fluctuating climate, and to capture run-off as much as possible. J&L Gibbons worked closely with engineers HRW to develop a drainage strategy that removed reliance on surface water gulleys, and instead captures rainwater in a series of planted swales, connected to below-ground attenuation and infiltration tanks.‘ The project is very unusual in that the Museum is creating an open-air learning space and so the level of interpretation outside will be as great as the interpretation inside.

Victoria said, ‘There are very distinct areas across the gardens.

In the Evolution Garden, it’s very much about interpreting the story of planetary change across all biological and geological lifeforms, and in doing so, inspiring planetary ambassadors of the future.’

In the wildlife garden, there will be the new Nature Activity Centre, which focuses on the current composition of our habitats, as well as their future adaption capabilities, and provides educational facilities for school groups as well as laboratory facilities for in-house scientists.

In the Nature Discovery Garden there will also be playful interpretation moments which are designed to encourage visitors to take a moment to pause and engage, and to process information they may have learned whilst exploring the exhibits.

Victoria concluded, ‘From the minute of entering, the gardens aim to be as much about providing an immersive, educational experience, as they are about creating a beautiful space to enjoy.’

2. More than 3,130 species have been identified in the Nature Discovery Garden since it opened in 1995. The new scheme preserves and enhances biodiversity on the site with a series of outdoor living galleries providing opportunities to learn about and explore nature. © Feilden Fowles and J&L Gibbons

3. In the Nature Discovery Garden a sunken walkway through the relocated pond will allow visitors of all ages to enjoy pond-dipping. © Feilden Fowles and J&L Gibbons

The wildlife garden itself was conceived in 1995. It was intended as a microcosm of the major UK habitats, so it showcased woodland, wetland, grasslands, and heath.

F E AT U R E

The SuDS revolution In a series of articles, we look at the way in which the management of water is being radically changed by regulation, design and practice.

Trudi Entwistle is a site-specific artist based in Calderdale who has been commissioned to work all over the world. Trudi completed a residency funded by Calderdale Council as part of the Art as Natural Flood Management project in 2022, resulting in two proposals, one in stone, and one using earth to create a series of bunds to capture the overland flow of rainwater. © Trudi Entwistle

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1. Sue Illman photographed at the Landscape Institute Awards 2023. © Andrew Mason

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Redirect the flow Josh Cunningham During her tenure as President of the Landscape Institute, Sue Illman, together with representatives from 12 other organisations, wrote to the then prime minister David Cameron, calling for long-term planning to prevent the devastation caused by flooding. Published in the Daily Telegraph on 20 February 2014, the letter became a frontpage news story, and was picked up widely in the media.

The letter was sparked by a long winter of flooding across the UK – from the Somerset Levels to the Thames Valley and to Tyneside. In the media that Sue was soon to weigh in on, aerial shots of flooded towns and villages joined images of devastated infrastructure facilities, and army personnel lugging sandbags through floodwater. 'Elderly and vulnerable 10

A past president of the Landscape Institute and recent recipient of an ‘Outstanding Contribution to SuDS’ award

by CIRIA,¹ Sue Illman is a landscape architect whose career has changed the landscape of water management.

But she isn’t happy yet. people, who couldn’t get out of their house when it rained,' remembers Sue, who lives close to some of the worst affected areas. 'And if they were already out of their house when it started, then they couldn’t get back in.

It was horrible.'

In the decade since, flash flooding has again hit the UK in 2016, 2019 and 2020, while hugely devastating floods have occurred internationally in Pakistan, China, India, and most recently across the Mediterranean, with thousands killed in Storm Daniel.

With climate change thought to be increasing the intensity and

'supercharging the rainfall'² of such storms, keeping flood prevention at the top of the political agenda is paramount.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) provide a nature-based solution to water management. Rather than concrete culverts and subterranean pipes, set within the hard urban landscapes that have come to dominate many built environments, SuDS offer the opportunity to use living systems of soil and vegetation to manage water. Providing exactly the kind of integrated solutions that landscape architects are known for,

Construction Industry Research and Information Association.

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Henson, Masters (2023), Yale Climate Connections. https://yaleclimate connections.org/ 2023/09/the-libyafloods-a-climateand-infrastructurecatastrophe/ 2

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these natural solutions reduce peak flow rates, provide water storage capacity, and filter out pollutants.

The result of this is reduced surface water flooding, improved water quality, enhanced biodiversity, and a positive impact upon human health and wellbeing. Or, as Sue says, to keep it simple, 'Its four things: quality [of water], quantity [of flow], amenity [for people], biodiversity [for the planet].'

Sue has spent her career as an ambassador for this cause. During her time as President of the LI, she oversaw a range of LI publications on SuDS and green infrastructure. As a consulting author for the Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) she has been involved in writing a range of SuDS manuals, while in practice at IllmanYoung she has delivered both new and retrofitted SuDS across the UK. 'It’s all about nibbling,' says Sue, reciting the catchphrase she coined to bring together all aspects of SuDS delivery – from the gradual way that nature reduces the flow of water as it forms a course, to the incremental way that practice has made inroads through the proliferation of SuDS in the UK. 'It’s about managing water as close as possible to where the rain falls,' Sue continues, 'whether it’s permeable paving or wetlands, bioretention planters or rain gardens, whatever we can do to maximise the benefits throughout the whole site.

Back to the source Sue’s first work in this field was the result of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between her practice and the University of Gloucestershire in the late 2000s, which involved research on how green systems purify water. 'The more research we did, the less we understood about how to implement our findings into practice. With some nibbling, we just went out and tried things. We’d talk to the architects and engineers on projects and slip our ideas into the design.'

Meanwhile, a similarly entrepreneurial approach in the city of Portland, Oregon, had led to landscape 12

architect Tom Liptan becoming a pioneer for SuDS, in a city trying to manage its industrial activity with the Willamette River.

By 2007, Liptan was leading Portland’s ‘Green Streets’ project, which saw the implementation of raingardens, roadside swales and street planters across the city. 'Crucially, they had to demonstrate that it was cheaper than a conventional system,' says Sue, 'which they did [...] In the UK, it’s the cost of land which gives SuDS a reputation for higher expenses. It does depend on the site and project, but even when SuDS are more expensive, it isn’t by a lot. And when you design it properly, it doesn’t have to take up more land.'

With this issue firmly in mind, Sue co-authored ‘Sustainable drainage and new housing developments’,³ an article for the University of Sheffield. Drawing on research carried out over a few years, it found that the only realistic solution to such market-driven decision making is through policy. 'Four big developers were asked their opinions on SuDS, and they basically said, "If we’re bidding for a site and [SuDS] are more expensive, we’re not going to do it. Give us the legislation so that there’s a level playing field for everybody, and then we can bid."'

This was not a new revelation to Sue, and she explains that it was this need for policy that had prompted the industry letter to the prime minister she had coordinated back in 2014.

'They did enact the 2012 Flood and Water Management Act, but it was dumbed down at the last minute. We think they were lobbied by housing developers at that time,' Sue says, but things have changed a lot now.

Still, a new version of the Flood and Water Management Act is expected to be rolled out in 2024, which will mandate (almost) all new developments to use SuDS instead of conventional drainage systems. 'If the legislation as currently drafted makes it through the parliamentary system intact, then there should be real change; but will it?' asks Sue. 'Recent flooding issues help keep the subject alive, and there is now a better all-round understanding of the necessity to manage water better.

Whatever the outcome, there will remain the conflict between those offering systems that manage water underground versus "SuDS on the surface".’ Ultimately, there is likely to be a need for both, but the latter offers so much more.

Sue maintains that progress will be about working with other professions – engineers, architects, and others – and thinking about drainage budgets in a different way. 'Sticking a pond at the end of a pipe isn’t SuDS – we need to use it to create swales, wetlands, planters too.' It’s about creating place, she says, 'and when you integrate water management and placemaking, you get benefits across the board – from health and wellbeing, to economy, to biodiversity. As landscape practitioners we can respond to the context of a local site and situation.

SuDS are just one part of our toolkit, and we need to do what we can to make it our everyday. Let’s start by making the most of the new biodiversity net gain legislation to deliver SuDS.' However, when thinking about the future, it is difficult for Sue to reconcile the seriousness of the situation with the current level of proactivity in government and parts of the industry.

'We understand that it’s going to get a lot worse. I think DEFRA looked at what they saw was the most extreme scenarios to plan for, and decided that at this point it would be too difficult to deliver policy that demanding. But they are envisaging those scenarios,' she says, 'and we will need them in the relatively near future.'

'Why are we building problems for the future? Because it "costs more" now? That makes me quite angry, and that’s why we need to just get out there and do it,' Sue implores us, and the many built environment professionals for whom designing and managing places is core. 'Tell your clients, train your clients. Train your fellow professionals. Be subtle if you need to be, but be an advocate.'

And of the SuDS legislation due to come in next year? 'We need it to be good,' Sue says. 'And then we need them to make it better.'

It seems there is a lot more nibbling to do.

Recent flooding issues help keep the subject alive, and there is now a better all-round understanding of the necessity to manage water better. Whatever the outcome, there will remain the conflict between those offering systems that manage water underground versus ‘SuDS on the surface’.

Sharp, Payne, Walker, Illman (2023), University of Sheffield. https://figshare. shef.ac.uk/articles/ report/Sustainable_ drainage_and_new_ housing_develop ments/ 22134440? file= 40018630 3

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1, 2. The SuDS approach of addressing water quality, managing quantity, whilst incorporating amenity with a biodiverse design is illustrated by a project carried out by Illman Young at the All England Lawn Tennis Club Community Tennis Centre, Raynes Park.

Before image is from 2019 and the after image from 2023. © AELTC

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SuDS Regulations

1. Glasgow Claypits Panmure Gate Walkway.

Glasgow’s inner-city nature reserve. © LUC

Scotland 1.

David Winter SuDS has been a requirement for new development in Scotland for 20 years. The Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2023 amended the Sewerage Scotland Act 1968, to include SuDS under the definition of a public sewer. However, this amendment only altered the last building block of the SuDS concept, which deals with the 'end of pipe' treatment.

An opportunity was missed: by only changing the legislation relating to the Scottish Water part of the surface water system and not considering regulatory changes to drainage of road water through SuDS, this meant that only a partial implementation of the SuDS concept was applied.

To date this has delivered 'SuDS' in all developments of two or more houses in Scotland. However, the predominance is for basins/ponds at the end of piped surface water drainage systems. As SuDS are vested in public ownership by Scottish Water, the minimum standards are usually applied by the development community. So, these factors 14

combined have meant that Scotland is falling short of the full potential offered

by SuDS. In practice, we find that the planning of roads and housing layout is carried out first, without due consideration of how surface water needs to be drained through the site.

This generally leads to a ‘piped’ system with a pond/basin tucked away on the edge of the site predicated by the housing layout. Coordination with landscape architects appears to come very late in the planning process, except for a few exemplary projects that have aimed to integrate regional SuDS with landscape design.

Urban SuDS retrofit has been atypical across public sector drainage and flood risk; urban regeneration; road programmes and active travel planning.

There appears to be little consideration of the management of rainwater as part of these works, with the norm being a replacement of 'like for like', and innovative thinking is often valued-managed out of a project.

The Scottish government has reinforced the need to set surface water management in the context of wider planning activities at policy level, through the Water Resilient Places Policy¹ and National Planning

Framework 4,² which specifically includes blue-green infrastructure within considerations for an 'infrastructure first' approach to development planning. Within these policies, the Scottish government highlight the importance of taking a placemaking approach to achieving blue-green cities and water resilience involving partners in the public and private sectors, the third sector, individuals and communities.

This support at a policy level is beginning to translate into practice through a collaborative place-based approach to planning for surface water and drainage which is being developed between Scottish Water and a number of cities across Scotland (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow) through formal drainage partnerships and exemplar projects.

David Winter is Technical Team Leader, Wastewater Service Strategy at Scottish Water.

tps://www.gov. scot/publications/ water-resilient-placespolicy-frameworksurface-watermanagement-bluegreen-infrastructure/ documents/ 1

Sets out the national spatial strategy for Scotland, including principles, regional priorities, national developments and national planning policy, and sets the intent to protect and enhance blue and green infrastructure and their networks.

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2. Recently completed city centre SuDS in Cardiff (Central Square/Wood St), designed by Arup, constructed by Knights Brown for Cardiff Council. © Cardiff Council

Wales 2.

Ian Titherington

https://www.gov. wales/sustainabledrainage-systemssuds-schedule-3-postimplementation-review 1

On 7 January 2019, Wales jumped into the unknown and enabled Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010; the first country globally to have statutory SuDS legislation for new construction. Up until that point, I had been a drainage engineer in Welsh local government dealing with drainage planning conditions, often relying on the goodwill of developers not to ‘value engineer’ out SuDS. As a SAB (SuDS Approving Body) officer, I finally got what I wanted, based on the six statutory standards in the Welsh legislation. Very much like planning permission, without SAB approval you cannot legally build.

After almost five years of the SuDS laws, Wales has now reviewed their use and, despite the challenges of Covid, local government funding squeezes and an utter lack of drainage industry expertise, many are reasonably pleased with how things have gone. My new role in Wales is to help the Welsh government deliver many recommendations of this review, 1. working closely with the SABs,

developers and all other associated interests.

One of the initial pitfalls was a pre-legislation rush to get planning applications in before the SuDS laws commenced (be warned, England).

Many developers believed that this would be cheaper and easier but they were mistaken as the new legislation, if used as designed, should not cost more or take longer – it simply means better design. Pre-SuDS design layouts are frankly inferior. There is nothing more frustrating than dealing with a layout that considers surface water last instead of first, and this is what statutory SuDS actively discourages. Experienced drainage designers love this legislation, because it enables them to show a client what can be achieved by prioritising the consideration of rainfall, whilst invariably keeping a similar development density.

However there have been and continue to be challenges, which have been largely covered in the recent and excellent SuDS Schedule 3 PostImplementation Review¹ by Arup for the Welsh government. Wales has one layer of local government and so by having the SABs at this level, they can work in parallel with planners to ensure

that neither trips each other up during the design process. This works well but Welsh councils, as with the rest of the UK, have had to manage significant funding cuts and seriously struggle to recruit or maintain technical services.

This, along with a chronic shortage of drainage expertise in the UK, is affecting all areas of water engineering, and not just SuDS. Also, there needs to be greater consistency of delivery and simpler and clearer application processes. Whilst the latter two will be resolved as review priorities, the lack of trained technical officers will require a short-and-medium-term UK workforce plan.

Many find that statutory SuDS is no panacea. I believe it is a truly transformative change of circumstances, particularly if England can learn from the hard lessons Wales has gone through and commence statutory SuDS in the near future.

Designing and constructing greener and cleaner places to live and work is most certainly a universal remedy – it’s simply better design.

Ian Titherington is Senior Policy Adviser – Sustainable Drainage, Water, Flood and Coal Tip Safety Division, Welsh government.

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1. SuDS scheme at Bentham near Cheltenham. © Illman Young

England Sue Illman England has suffered from an unfortunate series of last-minute changes to the direction of SuDS policy, which started when the government did not enact the final piece of legislation covered by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. This created the current system, which is both ambiguous and restricted in its scope, and consequently doesn’t deliver the water management we need to both prevent flooding and create a more sustainable water management regime.

However, change looks likely, with high hopes that new policy will be delivered soon. Focus groups have been working with government for much of the last year to help shape the new policy, and to ensure that ‘get out’ clauses, ambiguity and a lack of effective policy wording does not continue to undermine its important intent.

The Welsh model has been useful for England, allowing us to learn from Wales’ experience and avoid some of the pitfalls. The need for simple wording with absolute clarity of intent 16

is essential to ensure that the desired outcome is delivered.

It has taken many years for developers to understand that SuDS do not need to be expensive or difficult to build, if their design team fully understand how to integrate it within development. The key is to consider its integration from the outset, and always make it central to any design, or even as a feature in its own right. Good approaches to SuDS allow us to work in partnership with our engineering colleagues to design effective engineered solutions that look good, function well and are robust. But we also need to lead the way, become knowledgeable, and be prepared to stand our ground authoritatively on design issues.

A recent review of developer opinions¹ on using SuDS ended with an important comment – that making SuDS policy mandatory would ensure there was a level playing field when bidding for sites.

So what does the new legislation look like? In the hope that none of the proposals have been radically changed, SuDS policy will become mandatory for all development of more than one single dwelling – a radical change from the current situation. However, there

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will still be some exceptions.

The Welsh system has a SuDS Approving Body (SAB) in each local authority and we will need a similar structure of well-trained people to take on that role. It is assumed that this will be funded through the fees for SuDS approval. Again, if we follow Wales, then developers will not be able to commence construction on site until they have both planning permission and SuDS approval.

The new legislation should, at the time of going to press, have been written and be on its journey through both Houses of Parliament, prior to final approval and Royal Assent, after which it should be law in autumn 2024.

Sharp, Payne, Walker, Illman (2023), University of Sheffield. https://figshare.shef. ac.uk/articles/report/ Sustainable_drainage_ and_new_housing_ developments/ 22134440?file= 40018630 1

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The importance of multidisciplinary design 1.

1. Example of retrofit basin with 1 in 5 slopes.

earliest stages of planning a

development when integration of The relationship between engineer and landscape into the layout allows the easier architect in the delivery of SuDS is often highly productive. SuDS use of surface features that are

Steve Wilson

I have spent the last 20 years explaining to civil engineers that with SuDS, surface water drainage is no longer a purely engineering discipline. However, that does not mean that civil engineers do not have a very important and integral role to play in the design of SuDS alongside landscape architects.

Suggestions that engineers only have a minor, if any, role to play in SuDS design should not be taken seriously. Every landscape architect that is involved in SuDS design

should be engaging with and working collaboratively with civil engineers and vice versa. It truly is multidisciplinary work and everyone should recognise the value provided by the other professions.

One of the greatest arguments for multidisciplinary working is business risk management. No one can be an expert in everything and it is incumbent on the landscape architect and engineers to be aware of the limits of their professional knowledge.

This is covered in the Pathway to Chartership syllabus for both professions. If someone does not seek advice on specialist areas of work and gives bad advice, they can be sued by the client. Professional indemnity insurance may also be invalidated.

SuDS design should begin at the

integrated into the landscape. This requires input not only from planners and landscape architects to integrate the SuDS, but also from engineers to complete preliminary hydraulic models and comment on the likely engineering issues that may arise (e.g. is it possible to infiltrate close to buildings, will infiltration affect slope stability)?

Landscape architects should design the specific form and profile of any SuDS features. It is easy to spot a feature that has been designed by engineers without any real input from landscape professionals by the uniform slopes, lack of smooth transitions, generally deep and overly steep slopes and ugly concrete headwalls. A simple but very important example is shown in the photos overleaf where it is demonstrated the concrete headwall can be replaced by a much more visually pleasing solution that is just as effective from a hydraulic perspective.

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Retrofit basin with 1 in 5 side slopes Often landscape maintenance requirements will drive the maximum side slopes and planting in a SuDS feature. The retrofit basin on page 17 was designed with 1 in 5 side slopes to allow easy mowing but this gives a much more visually pleasing solution.

The planting is designed so that overall maintenance costs are no greater than the plain grass area it replaced.

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Combined pond to replace a proposed underground tank In the example on page 19 it was recognised by the engineer that a landscape solution would provide a much better environment and space than a buried plastic tank. This was again achieved through a multidisciplinary approach. The landscape architect has made the pond into an attractive feature in its own right and the engineer has ensured it works hydraulically.

It is vital that engineers are employed to ensure a scheme will work hydraulically and also make sure it is cost effective, for example by minimising storage volumes using appropriate hydraulic models. During detailed design, qualified and experienced engineers will be needed to provide advice on a range of issues that may include: – Design of permeable pavements to support traffic loads – Checking infiltration designs to ensure that the infiltration rates are appropriate to the soil types and wider ground model – Assessing stability of slopes or retaining walls that may be affected by SuDS – Confirming if shallow infiltration close to buildings (ie <5m from the building) is possible. Although it is possible in many cases there are specific ground conditions that would preclude this (e.g., where gypsum dissolution could be an issue).

Even during construction, collaboration is essential because SuDS often require landscape construction methods to be used earlier in the programme than normal, for example

2. Example of precast concrete headwall.

3. Example of precast headwall redesigned to be more visually appealing.

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Terracing of banks to overcome level changes – providing differing habitats dependent upon flood regime Potential to enhance wider margins with trees/native shrubs to integrate into surrounding landscape with footpath links

Existing pond banks adjusted in places to provide gentler gradients – creates safer, more easily maintained banks

4. Combined pond to replace a proposed underground tank. © Illman Young

to allow vegetation in swales to become established.

A prime example of where multidisciplinary working is required for what might, at first consideration, appear to be purely a landscape issue is the specification of filter media for rain gardens, especially larger ones that drain highways. The nature of filter media affects their drainage, pollution treatment and plant growth performance. All three are of equal importance. However, some refer to the filter media as a growing media, which gives the wrong impression and implies that only the plant growth considerations are important. The correct term is filter media. Input into the specification of the media is required from landscape, horticultural, soil science and engineering perspectives. It is not the exclusive domain of one professional field. This is especially true if the permeability of

Area of tanks opened out to provide capacity; different levels created providing range of habitats and matrix of planting

Potential to provide footpath link to wider development as part of public open space provision

Area set slightly higher than permanent water level to provide space for informal recreation Potential for boardwalks/decks to enhance use of water body Floating Islands – native marginal planting on floating pontoons to assist with water quality and provide attractive features/ecological benefits

the media is being used to control discharge to a pipe (i.e. using it as a flow control). The filter material should not be compacted and needs to be protected from excessive silt accumulation during construction activities. It also needs to be of a suitable grading to ensure compatibility with either underlying soil transition layers or geotextile filters, using well-established filter criteria.

Education The importance of multidisciplinary working between civil engineers and landscape architects in stormwater management should be encouraged from the start of their professional careers. Universities could share water-related modules between each discipline. This would break down the silos from early in the career formation.

CIRIA (and the Landscape Institute) already run training course on SuDS

with a trainer from each discipline wherever possible.

In conclusion, the best SuDS schemes are those where landscape architects and engineers collaborate to provide attractive and functional features that can be easily maintained and last for a lifetime and beyond.

Steve Wilson is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Technical Director of The Environmental Protection Group (EPG), which is part of the STRI Group.

Steve Wilson and Sue Illman were recently both awarded the CIRIA Lifetime Award for ‘Outstanding services to SuDS’.

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The art of natural flood management Artists’ engagement in a project in Calderdale is creating a new approach to tackling the climate emergency.

Benjamin Fenton

An exciting new project in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, is bringing together internationally renowned artists to create a series of artworks that respond to the climate emergency by acting as natural flood management (NFM). These artworks will help reduce flood risk in Calderdale, using established and proven NFM techniques to help slow the flow of rainwater into the valley during heavy rainfall.

The impact of climate change is felt in everyday life in Calderdale in many ways. Its steep-sided valleys and riverside communities make flooding a perennial threat, with devastating floods in 2012, 2015 and 2020. In winter 2019–20, 37% of all residential properties which flooded in England were in the Calder Valley. The council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and have made climate action a priority. Calderdale’s Climate Action Plan is a key part of this, and NFM sits within the Plan’s theme of working with land and nature to protect the borough in the long term. This builds resilience – a major focus of Calderdale’s ‘Vision 2024’ place strategy.

NFM is simply replicating natural processes to reduce flooding. This can be done by restoring moorlands so they hold on to rainwater, creating dry ponds or building ‘leaky dams’ which temporarily hold back

water in times of high rainfall. The ‘Art as NFM’ project, as it is known, is led by newly formed community interest company Confluence Arts CIC. Comprising a team of passionate people with a wealth of experience working in the arts, the group also enjoys support from a range of partners including Calderdale Council. The artist launching this innovative project is none other than Andy Goldsworthy OBE, an English sculptor who produces site-specific work inspired by and working with nature. His piece reflects the local landscape, using locally sourced materials to create unique dams within a watercourse. 'I hope to create a social, environmental, community-driven art project that attempts to address the problem of flooding, but also articulate people's concern, and connection to the land,' Goldsworthy said of his project.1 1. Slow The Flow volunteers working at Hardcastle Crags. © Samuel Townsend

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¹ Quoted by Confluence Arts CIC.

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2. Andy Goldsworthy inspecting a large ‘leaky dam’. © Sam Clayton

a fantastic example of how an environmental art project can help tackle the climate emergency, whilst placing Calderdale on the international art map. It will command attention globally and inspire new ways to artistically address the climate crisis.

² Quoted by Confluence Arts CIC

Some of the other artists involved include: – David Nash OBE, whose famous slow art piece ‘Wooden Boulder’ was a giant carved oak sphere which he set journeying downstream on the river Dwyryd in Wales, followed over the course of 35 years. For The Art as NFM project, David has designed a beautiful piece utilising his signature charring of wood, preserving it whilst giving it a striking black colour.

– Trudi Entwistle is a site-specific artist based in Calderdale who has been commissioned to work all over the world. Trudi completed a residency funded by Calderdale Council as part of the Art as Natural Flood Management project in 2022, resulting in two proposals, one in stone, and one using earth to create a series of bunds to capture the overland flow of rainwater.

– Elpida Hadzi-Vasileva is a contemporary visual artist working across a variety of media and has designed a piece that is a striking juxtaposition to the natural environment of Calderdale. Elpida’s piece uses goldleaf to guild natural materials.

So far, Confluence Arts CIC has invited artists to be involved, but has plans for an open call for artists at all stages of their career to respond to the question of how to slow water using art, sympathetically and often in difficult environments. A commissioned piece will specifically address the issue of access. NFM is most effective in upland locations, so the artworks will likely be in locations which might not be overly accessible. To complement the artworks and offer greater accessibility to the project, exhibitions showing photographs, artist drawings and potentially artworks by the artists will be held in Halifax at the prestigious Piece Hall Gallery, another partner of this project.

Funding is now being sought to achieve the first artwork by Andy Goldsworthy, with the Henry Moore Foundation and the Environment Agency already on board as funders. It is expected that most of the funding for these artworks will come from private and arts funding. Confluence Arts CIC hopes to have this first piece installed in spring 2024, with subsequent pieces following once funding is achieved. In time, a trail linking the artworks together will be developed.

As well as highlighting important climate issues, the project showcases Calderdale’s distinctive art and culture and complements its

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Year of Culture 2024.

Sir Peter Murray CBE, Founding Director of Yorkshire Sculpture Park, said that the project is 'a fantastic example of how an environmental art project can help tackle the climate emergency, whilst placing Calderdale on the international art map. It will command attention globally and inspire new ways to artistically address the climate crisis.'2 As Murray suggests, the enterprise will be instrumental in raising awareness of Calderdale’s community response to tackling

flooding – with over 20,000 trees planted and almost 1,000 leaky dams created by volunteers so far, to slow down rainwater flow into the valley. Following the 2015 floods, local charity Slow The Flow was formed by a group of likeminded individuals keen to take action to tackle flooding. By engaging community volunteers, it focused its efforts in the woodlands of Hardcastle Crags and has created almost 1,000 ‘leaky dams’ in small watercourses and several kilometres of contour dams, supported by landowner the National

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3. Edd Smith and Andy Goldsworthy at Broadhead Clough, Calderdale. © Sam Clayton

4. Proposed location of the Andy Goldsworthy artwork. © Ben Fenton

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Trust. Hardcastle Crags sits upstream of Hebden Bridge, and this work will not only have a positive effect on reducing the peak flows

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hitting the town during heavy rainfall, but also on the mental health of the thousands of local volunteers that have got their hands dirty working on this project.

A map of the work completed by Slow The Flow and the National Trust has been created and is available to visitors interested in taking a closer look at these dams in situ. Slow The Flow has now started working with volunteers at nearby Broadhead Clough above Mytholmroyd, and strives to expand NFM knowledge by offering a dedicated accredited course.

In addition to this community action, plenty of other NFM measures are being implemented across Calderdale. Moors for the Future and other organisations are working to restore moorland, rewetting the moors and enabling more sphagnum to grow so it captures rainwater. Calderdale Council and the Environment Agency are offering landowners funding to implement NFM projects on their land and have funded over 50 successful

projects so far. The National Trust is leading on a project to restore the uplands using NFM, and by revegetating upland river valleys. And White Rose Forest is offering support to landowners interested in creating new woodlands in Calderdale.

There is plenty of national evidence provided by the Environment Agency3 showing the effectiveness of NFM in slowing down the time it takes rainwater to flow from the top of a catchment to the towns below. Slow The Flow claims its work at Hardcastle Crags can cause a delay of between 30 and 105 minutes.4 If this is true, replicating this work across each valley could have a significant effect on reducing flooding in Calderdale. ³ Working with natural processes to reduce flood risk – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Ben Fenton is Natural Flood Management Project Officer at Calderdale Council.

⁴ Scientific monitoring suggests leaky dams are a success at Hardcastle Crags – Slow The Flow.

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1. Aerial view of matured saltmarsh habitat (artist impression) ©WWT Image ©2010 TerraMetrics Data SIO, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEBCO Image ©2010 Infoterra Ltd & Bluesky Image ©2010 FRLA Ltd Image ©2009 Google

2. Artist impression of multipurpose path.

Steart Coastal Management Project An Environment Agency case study in Bridgwater, Somerset.

Robert Scott

© WWT

Sea level rise, coastal squeeze and the need to provide increased flood protection to over 100,000 homes and businesses is predicted to reduce internationally designated wetland habitats within the Severn Estuary by 300–600 hectares by 2025, and significantly affect the natural estuarine landscape.

The aim of the Steart Coastal Management Project, constructed in 2014 in partnership with Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), was to transform 620 hectares of the Steart Peninsula into wildlife-rich wetland habitats and landscapes. This would compensate for some of the habitat loss, whilst providing an increased standard of flood protection for people, property and both local and critical national infrastructure by a sustainable means that works closely with nature. A single breach in the existing River Parrett bank defences, in combination with new flood embankments and the creation of creeks, allowed natural hydrological processes of the Severn Estuary to reclaim this previously artificially drained and managed agricultural land. It has transformed it into one of the largest intertidal wetland habitats in the UK – a wildlife-rich landscape that reframes the threat of flooding into an opportunity and a resource.

The success of the wetland hinged on close collaboration between engineers, hydrologists, ecologists and archaeologists, among many others.

regular public drop-ins both before and during construction, one-to-one meetings and information boards.

Within the team, regular project meetings allowed issues to be identified and resolved early and decision papers allowed key determinations to be evaluated effectively and democratically.

Honest and outcome-focused contractual relationships brought out the best in the Environment Agency’s consultants and contractors, who were motivated to demonstrate their pioneering and innovative approaches, which included working closely with WWT. This led to some elements of implementation being deferred after the main construction had been completed and then delivered by WWT. The success of the wetland hinged on close collaboration between engineers, hydrologists, ecologists and archaeologists, among many others. The art and science of landscape architecture has been critical in aiding dialogue across the disciplines at each step of the way, from feasibility to detailed design, construction and long-term management.

Robert Scott is Principal Landscape Architect at the Environment Agency.

The project delivered an extensive multifunctional landscape: – 480 ha of intertidal, freshwater, brackish and mudflat habitats, ponds and ditches – Over 8 kilometres of carefully designed new flood defence banks – Over 9 kilometres of native species hedge and broadleaf and carr woodland – 7.5 kilometres of new public rights of way, including visitor routes linked to panoramic viewpoints and hides – 7.7 kilometres of paths enhanced for dual cycle and pedestrian use – Interpretation boards highlighting local environment and wildlife – Active learning resources for local schools.

Environment Agency involvement The multidisciplinary design team was led by the Environment Agency and delivered by its consultants at Halcrow (now Jacobs), EC Harris (now Arcadis) and contractor Team Van Oord. The detail design was developed in partnership with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, who were chosen to establish and manage the site post construction.

Environment Agency landscape architects scoped and guided the production of the landscape and environmental design, and conducted early stakeholder engagement. They ensured the engagement materials would effectively communicate the project’s objectives and outcomes, including photomontages, drawings, plans and images rendered from a 3D model.

Lessons learned Effective communication with stakeholders was critical to the success of the project. This was achieved through sound stakeholder analysis,

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Burton Washlands

1. Artist's impression of the core Washlands Vision area.

An Environment Agency case study.

2. Artist's impression of library steps and recreational area overlooking the adjacent Washlands.

© Environment Agency

© Environment Agency

Robert Scott This £28 million project started life as an engineered flood wall and embankment-raising project, to protect 5,500 homes and businesses in the Burton floodplain, Staffordshire, from the ravages of the River Trent.

It won the 2018 Landscape Institute Award for Local Landscape Planning; however, the opportunity to enhance the undeveloped floodplain – the Washlands – for people and wildlife followed. This would help to offset the disruption and environmental impacts of the engineering work and, through the provision of flood defences, provide a wider range of facilities and environmental improvements for the local community. It thus generated a broader community base of local support and stakeholder funding for the project.

Environment Agency involvement: The Environment Agency developed the business case and an engineering-led project team to improve the ageing flood defences.

As the project evolved, the Environment Agency worked with other partners including the client senior user, and professionals in cultural heritage, flood risk, fisheries and biodiversity, to understand the scale of the environmental opportunity. The trigger for starting a landscape-led approach was the development of a brief for a Landscape Vision to cover 630 hectares of floodplain, written in collaboration with East Staffordshire Borough Council (ESBC) and Binnies (formally Black & Veatch), who were awarded the design contract.

The brief for the Landscape Vision included: – Aligning with East Staffordshire BC and Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s Transforming the Trent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme (TTTV)

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– Improving access, legibility and biodiversity at the urban interface with the Washlands identifying alternative land uses and management regimes, allowing space for water – Leveraging funding via a Natural Capital Register, specifically targeting deprived areas – Promoting interaction with the project to public and partners online and via workshops.

These activities led to funding and support from ESBC, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (heritage lottery bid), Trent Rivers Trust, and The National Forest Company. The Environment Agency set up and chaired the steering group, and funding agencies including the Local Enterprise Partnership have contributed towards the multimillion-pound landscape enhancements.

Lessons learned: Landscape architects and environmental professionals in client organisations such as the Environment Agency can provide the stimulus for exciting collaborative projects, by thinking laterally, challenging established engineer-centric project teams and breaking down barriers to communication.

A landscape-led approach on this project has generated a breadth of ideas ranging from small-scale enhancements deliverable by volunteer groups, to ambitious proposals and an overarching vision that exceeds partners’ expectations. It provides a visual shopping list of measures that sponsors can invest in, which are delivered through a prioritised programme.

Story maps were used as an engaging and accessible way of presenting GIS and technical information to a wide audience and aided cross-disciplinary working.

Robert Scott is Principal Landscape Architect at the Environment Agency.

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1. Innovative rainbow arch downspouts as gateway feature. © AtkinsRéalis

2. One of ten typical schools masterplans. © AtkinsRéalis

SuDS for Schools An AtkinsRéalis case study using SuDS in North West England.

Simon Ward AtkinsRéalis with United Utilities developed an innovative ten-school pilot programme to look at primary school grounds around the North West of England, principally to help solve issues of local and wider network flooding.

A straightforward process was enacted and then replicated across each school. We applied a ‘lessons learned’ experience from school to school and achieved hugely successful outcomes despite limited budgets and short programmes, with construction often limited to school holidays. In particular, the provision of ponds was discussed with schools individually due to the health and safety risks. Some welcomed it as a positive feature, accepting they would monitor access (they didn’t want fenced solutions), while others simply declined.

The vision for these relatively small interventions was not only to prevent localised

network flooding through rainwater management, but to add value to the schools; inspiring curiosity about the links between nature and the weather through the subtle beautification of the school grounds. This approach delivered wellbeing, healthier spaces and increased biodiversity, whilst educating pupils about climate resilience and how creative water management can produce fun and practical spaces.

The idea was to take roof and surface water and either slow the flow into the piped system, or move it altogether, into ponds, rain gardens, water butts, planters and swales. We developed innovative and playful features, which also provide visual stimulation. The key impacts and contributions of these design interventions is to help ‘slow the flow’, reduce damaging flood events, and, for very modest sums, deliver greater resilience to the local drainage network.

For example, proposals included a rainbow arch, which forms the approach to one of the

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schools' main entrances. This diverted roof water into a rain garden via a series of coloured arched pipes, referencing the interaction of sun and water and the Covid rainbow symbol of the time, for a more hopeful future. Rain chains were also designed as well as fun downspouts, with decorative collector beds, willow shelters and domes also helping to put the ‘fun’ into the ‘fun’ctional aspects of these projects. Some schools also engaged pupils to help in the planting of their rain gardens.

Our installations have delivered a host of other benefits around sustainability, which include social and educational value for pupils.

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Our AtkinsRéalis design team alongside United Utilities has ensured that these projects have delivered enormous value through very modest capital outlays, spread over ten projects.

United Utilities say that 'These projects have delivered both environmental and social benefits… The rainbow arch hasn’t been done anywhere else in the country, it’s a really exciting thing to see... It’s just one of these projects where I can say genuinely it’s worked really well.'

Simon Ward CMLI FLI is Technical Director at AtkinsRéalis.

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We’ve helped to reverse the trend of schools being dominated by hard standing. These interventions also improve wellbeing for all staff, pupils and visitors, by creating a series of more relaxed, informal environments. New tree and shrub planting helps to cool down the grounds and provide shade. The planting will also bolster biodiversity and help to absorb pollutants.

Most directly, the projects often delivered improved and more useable school grounds.

Sports pitches, areas of green open space and hard standing, which previously experienced flooding or waterlogging, were brought back into use, giving schools extra breathing space for play and recreation.

'The kids couldn’t really play on it… The biggest benefit to us… [is that] every year it can now be utilised in the right way,' a SuDS for Schools video relays* 'The feedback from them [pupils] coming out here and playing, and being able to use the area is great, there’s lots of smiles on their faces.' The lessons learned (as set out above) are now being extended and embraced on a wider scale as a model to deliver similar projects for other water authorities and government departments such as Southern Water and Severn Trent. This includes a current pilot SuDS for Schools project in Belfast under the joint Northern Ireland Water’s (NIW) and the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) ‘Living with Water’ programme. Through relatively minor investments, water utility companies can save huge amounts in the long term by reducing and preventing flood events in their networks, whilst providing multiple social and environmental benefits.

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3. School grounds have been enhanced visually and functionally with beautiful dynamic interventions. © AtkinsRéalis

4. New rain gardens and tree SuDS pits enable formerly flooded areas to be used for outdoor play. © AtkinsRéalis

5. Rock-strewn rain channel for water play. © AtkinsRéalis

6. Decorative and ‘fun’ctional rain chain design as a focus within a courtyard. © AtkinsRéalis

As a company we have used this SuDS for Schools programme as an exemplar in webinars on the wider benefits of SuDS, and implemented this best practice within our wider portfolio of projects.

The programme has been seized upon by many of the schools to explore the opportunities of using the work to educate its pupils in climate resilience with real, ‘on the ground examples’. At the start of each project, the goals and benefits were discussed with the school and a toolkit of methods was established, including the potential for incorporating the works as outdoor classrooms.

We’ve been told, 'Teachers are really finding it an easier space to work in… and to learn. …

It’s marvellous what you have done, it’s a great idea.'

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*All quotations are taken from SuDS for Schools video, July 2022, commissioned

by United Utilities

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1. Church grounds riverside walk, garden of contemplation, green space and flood wall. © AtkinsRéalis

Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme An AtkinsRéalis project designed to significantly reduce flood risk in Mytholmroyd.

Tim Gorton Located at the confluence of two waterways, in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, Mytholmroyd experienced its highest-ever recorded flood following a devastating event on Boxing Day, 2015.

This caused millions of pounds of damage and undermined the confidence of this community. Approximately 300 properties and 70 businesses were flooded, as well as the church, church hall, two schools and the community centre.

For Mytholmroyd’s flood alleviation scheme (FAS), AtkinsRéalis provided the design as part of a joint venture with Volker Stevin. Working with our client, the Environment Agency, the

scheme encompasses a series of engineered and natural flood risk interventions at a number of locations throughout the village, including raised flood walls, demolitions and the creation of new public realm and open space. The scheme also incorporates new bridges (including a green bridge), waterside walkways, wetland habitat, managed floodplain and amenity planting, all of which has been integrated into the busy, compact fabric of a traditional Pennine village.

The project overcame many challenges, providing enhanced protection to 400 homes and businesses, as well as local infrastructure.

It was a complex scheme in a narrow, steep-sided, restricted semi-urban valley environment, which was designed and delivered during a pandemic and two major

storms. Each of these challenges was surmounted without compromising on quality of design or delivery. Its success is testament to the team’s collaboration with our client and stakeholders and steadfast commitment to design quality.

In a village, where land management opportunities were limited, the hard engineering was mostly kept within the waterside banks by purposely minimising how much the scheme encroached upon public and private space. However, new public space was provided through the demolition of several buildings (and relocation of their previous users), to create a more defined village centre.

Mytholmroyd’s FAS was developed from an extensive optioneering and consultation process in conjunction with the local community, local

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interest groups, key stakeholders and statutory consultees. Consultation workshops were held from the outset to understand the community’s requirements and explain the process. Following this, further consultation included a staffed visitor centre, regular Open Day events, including a community vote to choose the stone wall coursing. There were also talks to local institutions, as well as regular electronic leaflet drops.

The potential of collaboration was maximised by establishing a stakeholder working group, which included the local community, Natural England, Historic England, the Canal and River Trust, the Leeds Diocese and Calderdale Council. Several landscape workshops were held with this group, chaired

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by an independent built environment expert.

These shaped the public open space and wall design.

To maximise climate change resilience, an area of frequently waterlogged sports pitches at Brearley Fields was mostly returned to managed floodplain, creating a wetland meadow to ‘slow the flow’ (also the name of a charity working on this issue in the local area).

This first phase of the wetland park has enabled an expansion of the riverside habitat, benefitting the environment and providing a peaceful attraction for both the community and visitors. This has included new areas of wet grassland and wet woodland, as well as new native mixed woodland along the edge of the site on the canal embankment, plus a new

grass-reinforced canal spillway. A tree planting strategy, developed with the Environment Agency, prioritised native trees with consideration for local character. In more urban areas, trees were chosen to be more drought resistant.

The scheme has contributed towards carbon reduction, mitigating climate change and other environmental challenges and protected lives and property. However, the project’s features also create a more stable and sustainable community by promoting active travel with new riverside and wetland walks, footbridge links and attractive public open space destinations in the village, maximising the scheme’s ongoing impact on human health and wellbeing. A new, green road bridge has been installed centrally within the village and uses materials sourced through local quarried and reclaimed stone.

AtkinsRéalis landscape architects were at the heart of this project, working extensively with the local community, stakeholders, contractor and engineering partners, delivering a sensitive and thoughtful scheme, significantly reducing flood risk at Mytholmroyd. The completed scheme has enhanced the character, quality and diversity of the natural, historic and cultural environment in Mytholmroyd, in particular, the setting of its waterways and their adjacent spaces, including the first phase of a new wetland park and managed floodplain.

This comprehensive but sensitive waterside project has provided security for many who are still suffering the emotional and financial strain from the floods, restoring the local community’s confidence in the future, whilst leaving a lasting legacy for the community to enjoy. 'Climate change is increasing the frequency and the severity of floods everywhere, and everyone needs to adapt,' says Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency. 'The combination of engineered and natural approaches to flood risk here should inspire future projects all over the country.'

Tim Gorton CMLI is Associate Director, Landscape Architecture at AtkinsRéalis and was the landscape lead for Mytholmroyd FAS. Mytholmroyd FAS was a 2022 Landscape Institute award winner in the Excellence in Flood and Water Management category.

2. Cragg Brook accessible footbridge © AtkinsRéalis

3. Brearley Fields managed floodplain and wetland ‘park’. © AtkinsRéalis

The combination of engineered and natural approaches to flood risk here should inspire future projects all over the country.

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1. The landscape vision and dual-use approach for the Sidmouth amphitheatre scheme integrates vital stormwater management with a local amenity that benefits the community and biodiversity all year round.

Sidmouth amphitheatre Jacobs-designed flood alleviation scheme which doubles up as an amphitheatre for the local community.

Paul Hargreaves and Andy Craven Webb The Sidmouth flood alleviation scheme has seen the installation of a new drainage system to divert surface water away from properties. The water is guided via a swale to a flood storage area, which doubles up as an amphitheatre. The design enhances the local landscape and biodiversity – functioning as an outdoor performance venue and recreation space that can be enjoyed by the community, while ensuring it will remain unflooded in most rainfall events.

For many years, Sidmouth, a town on the south coast of England, has suffered regular stormwater flooding, with overland flowpaths

draining to a low point directly in the town centre, putting up to around 150 residential properties and businesses at risk. If a rare, major storm were to take place, many local residential and commercial properties would be at risk of flooding.

Working with Devon County Council, Jacobs developed a flood management scheme that would overcome this and navigate the town’s drainage challenges – including a dense town centre, narrow streets and historic buildings with shallow foundations. Our team went further and were inspired to turn the flood defences into an amphitheatre, providing a public space for local communities to visit and use. We also reinstated a wildflower meadow and planted 11 new trees. Now over 300 people at any one time can enjoy local events in a unique natural setting, so long as the weather stays dry.

The project needed to consider how to intercept surface water flows on a busy highway and provide a flood storage solution to mitigate flood flows, while reducing flows into the town centre. More traditional approaches to mitigate flood risk were not viable with the town’s narrow streets and historic buildings, so the storage scheme needed to be located further upstream in an area of open parkland, which was acceptable to the local community and sensitive to the impact on the mature trees. Favouring Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), we focused on creating an environmentally friendly solution using Innovyze drainage design software, diversifying the flora and supporting the needs of nature, while creating a useful asset for the community. We developed a landscape vision for the storage area, with an amphitheatre as the focal point of the scheme,

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2. A lockable, self-raising cover protects the central flow control chamber from any movement and supports easyaccess maintenance.

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creating a venue for community and festival events.

With a strong focus on using recycled, upcycled and sustainable materials wherever possible, we developed a broader system design comprising two 'crossdrains', which take water off the highway and towards the parkland area, with the outfall discharging into a swale. This leads to the flood storage area – the amphitheatre – designed for dual use. In normal weather conditions the storage area is a stunning outdoor amphitheatre for general amenity use, festivals and other town events.

During extreme rainfall events, water intercepted from the highway will flow along the swale and infiltrate through the surface of the amphitheatre into a sub-surface geocellular crate system. Once the sub-surface storage is full, water will pond on the surface of the amphitheatre. Water can leave the amphitheatre through a combination of the infiltration system and a piped outflow to the nearby surface water/sewer network at a greatly reduced rate. In the event of a blockage of the outlet, a spillway can direct flows safely

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overland into the adjacent area of the parkland.

Using this blue-green infrastructure solution helps improve the water quality of the runoff, as it filters through grass and stone media. We incorporated several innovative features and designs, including a carefully developed step design to the tiered seating with state-of-theart, plastic-free grass product and reinforced earth techniques to resist erosion. A lockable, self-raising cover and frame was developed to protect the central flow control chamber from any movement and make for easy-access maintenance.

The dual-use approach used here is a model for how all projects should be conceived wherever possible. Flood defences should benefit the community all year round as opposed to simply when there is a flood event.

Maximising the use of blue-green infrastructure in our public realm will provide wildlife habitats, local amenities, and mitigate some of the effects of our changing climate. Our green spaces are enormously valuable to local communities, providing mental health benefits, cleaning the air and water, and reducing the

urban heat island effect for those living in our cities and urban spaces.

This culturally relevant solution integrates the vital stormwater management into a creative, environmentally sensitive, climateresilient design – enhancing the local landscape and biodiversity, while functioning as a delightful performance venue and community recreation space, now being fully enjoyed by all.

Paul Hargreaves, Jacobs Senior Associate Director, developed the overall SuDS design concept, coordinated the diverse and holistic design team, and supervised during construction.

Andy Craven-Webb, Jacobs Associate Director, led the landscape design and assessment work on the project from planning through to site supervision.

This culturallyrelevant solution integrates the vital stormwater management into a creative, environmentally sensitive, climateresilient design – enhancing the local landscape and biodiversity, while functioning as a delightful performance venue and community recreation space, now being fully enjoyed by all.

F E AT U R E

Urban raingarden design The concept of directing runoff from roofs and hard surfaces to sunken planted areas that can collect the runoff and allow it to soak into the ground has been around for millennia. It is now essential both as a drainage function and to passively irrigate trees and plants.

1. Diagram of a typical bioretention raingarden anatomy. © Images courtesy Robert Bray Associates

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Kevin Barton

The modern concept of a raingarden was originally developed in Maryland, United States, in the 1990s as a simple means of managing relatively unpolluted runoff from roofs and domestic hard surfaces within property gardens, as part of wider neighbourhoodscale water management systems that typically included other more integrated approaches such as bioswales to manage more polluted highway runoff.

Since then, the City of Portland, Oregon, has pioneered the use of raingardens retrofitted into existing urban streetscapes, carefully adapted to deal with the increased pollution and silt loads associated with highway runoff. Typically referred to as ‘bioretention raingardens’ in the UK, Portland has installed over 3,600 around the city and estimates that it reduces annual runoff volume by around 80%, as well as delivering the water quality benefits that were the initial driver for the initiative.

Whilst the UK lags behind parts of the US in the uptake of integrated, nature-based rainwater management practices, there has been

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a recent surge of interest in installing raingardens adjacent to highways.

Initially this was driven by councils wanting to explore more effective solutions to local flooding and river water quality with multiple benefits, often with co-funding from water companies, exploring their use to help reduce Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) events. Councils are increasingly appreciative of the benefits that bioretention gardens offer in helping to tackle numerous aspects of climate resilience, the biodiversity crisis and health and wellbeing. They can also be deployed in new development where they form valuable ‘source control’ functionality – managing the most polluted smaller rainfall events close to where the rain lands, whilst protecting the remaining SuDS landscape from pollution and regular wetting.

So far, uptake of bioretention raingardens in the UK has been in a pattern of hotspots where there are proactive local champions, as well as an increasing interest in other areas.

Particular hotspots are: – Sheffield, where the city council design team have implemented a number of transformative infrastructure projects that integrate rainwater management – London Borough of Enfield, where the Watercourses Team has been responsible for scores of retrofit raingardens in residential streets delivering both urban greening and traffic management/active travel benefits

– Cardiff, where bioretention raingardens have been retrofitted into a range of street typologies – London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, where the council highways team hope to ‘disconnect’ the entire White City estate from the main drainage system – London Borough of Haringey, where several highway SuDS schemes have now been delivered by the council in a range of street typologies, increasingly including bioretention raingardens.

More recently the huge scale of the combined sewer overflow problem in the UK, as well as more awareness around highway pollutants such as microplastics, has finally reached the public consciousness and water companies are beginning to fund retrofit SuDS projects to very significant degrees with the blessing of industry regulator, Ofwat. This has resulted in proposals for thousands of new raingardens to be installed in coming years across the country. To meet this ambition and ensure that investment delivers benefits to local communities, all sectors involved in public realm delivery, particularly landscape architects, are going to have to quickly up-skill.

Unlike raingardens for roof runoff and non-highway hard surfaces – which are simple planted depressions in the landscape that should not normally require specialist highly draining soils, gravel drainage layers or ‘under-draining’ – bioretention raingardens must respond to the specific challenges of highway runoff: collecting runoff from the highway; and increased silt and pollution inputs.

Through layering, we can provide both pollution treatment functionality temporary storage of rainwater.

With planted space for stilling water, alongside bioremediating soils and drainage layers in the base, raingardens can effectively provide the function of multiple SuDS features in one. This makes them particularly useful in constrained urban environments where space for multiple SuDS features in series is not available.

The requirement to manage higher levels of silt and pollution within a small footprint comes with compromises

2. Portland highway raingarden. © Photo courtesy Chris Hamby (Creative Commons)

The installation of raingardens, as well as other nature-based SuDS features, has the potential for significant benefits for people and the natural world.

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3. Bioretention raingarden as part of the improvement of White Hart Lane, Tottenham, London, providing multiple benefits to users. © Photo courtesy Robert Bray Associates/Maple Photography

4. Camley Street bioretention raingardens and tree pits creating a vegetated buffer between pedestrians and vehicles. © Photo courtesy Robert Bray Associates

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and challenges making the technical detail critical. We have seen many examples that will certainly fail to perform or dramatically underperform due to some basic design flaws. Some pointers to avoid these include: – Create large and/or multiple inlets with a drop from the highway to allow intense runoff to reach the raingarden at the surface – rather than via underground pipes – Be mindful of erosion protection and a silt collection area at inlet points to reduce the deleterious impacts of silt

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on the hydraulic conductivity (ability to percolate water) of soils – Include a dropped soil level relative to the highway sufficient to collect intense runoff and spread it over the soil surface to allow enough time for it to filter through the soil layer – Avoid long falls to the soil surface without baffles, which result in collected runoff flowing to the lowest point and overflowing before it has had time to pass through the soil layer – Avoid a mismatch between soil type and planting typologies that results in poorly performing planting – Be mindful of placing overflows too close to inlets or at too low a level resulting in rapid bypassing and insufficient pollution control – Design out high rates of positive drainage to the base of the construction, which can result in suboptimal pollution treatment and/ or flood mitigation, or in some cases the bypassing of the raingarden entirely.

Bioretention raingardens (and arguably well-integrated nature-based SuDS as a whole) are still in their infancy in the UK and this presents some issues around their design, soil specifications, experienced construction, and funding

and skills for maintenance. The UK is still experimenting and theorising with details and soil specifications.

This has led to some confusion in the industry where individuals’ approaches and experiments in sand-, grit- and aggregate-based growing media and planting typologies have led to regional ‘standards’ being replicated locally without an understanding of what other options are available or more context-relevant: such as the Portlandproven standard of sandy loam topsoil with 30% organic matter capable of supporting conventional planting typologies.

The installation of raingardens, as well as other nature-based SuDS features, has the potential for significant benefits for people and the natural world. We would like to see landscape architects leading their roll-out to transform all our urban landscapes, so that we can move towards a future where working with nature on our doorsteps to manage the water that falls out of the sky is the norm.

Kevin Barton FLI is Managing Director at Robert Bray Associates and a passionate advocate for landscape-led, nature-based SuDS. 33

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1. River Buriganga © Sabiha Haque

Sustenance in the shadows of the River Buriganga The people of Dhaka have always been challenged in their interaction with the River Buriganga in Bengal. Here, landscape architect Sabiha Haque provides three vignettes offering insights into the city’s relationship with the river, as it tries to maintain supplies of food and water in a place with increased pollution and restricted access.

Sabiha Haque

¹ Vhistii is a community of people who transport water in leather vessels to Dhaka residents.

Muntasir Mamun Dhaka Shamogro. ² Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority: Performance and Challenges. ³ https:// en.banglapedia. org/index.php/ Kamrangirchar_Thana

Around 1610 AD a trade hub grew by the River Buriganga in Bengal.

Buriganga, which is sometimes also known as Gangaburi, has a romantic past, with those living nearby depending on it for food, water, transport, and bathing.

However, it has continuously suffered abuse from sewage outfalls, industrial waste, and much more. Today it continues to offer people entertainment, navigation, and food despite high pollution levels.

This struggle is not unique to Buriganga, with communities

worldwide facing similar predicaments. The Buriganga River spans 27 kilometres. This article focuses on the Buriganga channel between Kamrangir Char on the east bank of the river, and Kholamora, Keraniganj, on the West. Kamrangir Char is densely populated, with over 143,000 residents. The study examined about 4.8 kilometres of both riverbanks.

Drinking water Until 1874, Dhaka people relied directly on rivers, ponds, and wells for sources of drinking water to be transported by the Vhistii¹ community, who transported water from the river in leather vessels. In an 1869 report it was mentioned that water became unsuitable to drink from the available water sources. Following this problem, in the year 1874, Nabab Khaja Abdul Ghani established a water treatment plant in Chadnighat, Dhaka.²

The Chandnighat water treatment plant drew water from the Buriganga channel. After the upgrade of the plant in 1997, an independent evaluation in 2003 showed that additional conduit pipes boosted the supply capacity of the water treatment plant but the quantity of water consumption and supply had fallen during dry periods due to the lower water level. Therefore, despite having the river and surface water treatment plant that could supply clean water, it is no longer working well, and people have to use alternative sources for drinking water.

Kamrangir Char falls in the Padma North West distribution sector and will eventually be supplied by 450 MLD of fresh water from the River Padma. Until then the community near Kamrangir Char will have to be reliant on groundwater extraction or purchasing bottled water. Almost 96% of people use tube wells.³ 35

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2. Image of a local fish market near Buriganga. © Sabiha Haque

3. Vegetables growing on trellis, Kamrangirchar. © Sabiha Haque

4. Riverbank homestead plants (Banana), Washpur. © Sabiha Haque

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Fish supplies Buriganga is a tide-influenced river mainly fuelled by the upper Turag and downstream of the Bongshi River.

Buriganga has an average depth of 7.6 metres and the maximum depth is 18 metres. The water level is highest during the monsoon in August and September, with around 56 types of fish available to catch.⁴ July to October

is the fishing season with the best supply of fish. According to the article Fish Species Diversity, Fishing Gears and Crafts from The Buriganga River, Dhaka,⁵ the most commonly available fish in Buriganga were carp-like Cypriniformes.

While visiting the study area we were looking for both fish markets and fishermen. Unfortunately, the

fish market no longer sells fish from Buriganga as it is claimed that there are no longer enough fish to catch. During this investigation, an encounter with a local fisherman taught me a lot about the fishing situation in the monsoon season. Currently, the river is filled with invasive sucker fish. As a predator, it eats other fish and populates faster.

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Vegetable farming In a situation where the river water is contaminated and there is a diminishing supply of fish, the local community has had to find ingenious methods to use river banks for growing vegetables. Tiny places behind the shop and the slope of the river bank near to the road are used for growing vegetables. Vegetables are placed mostly on a trellis and are used to grow food such as squash, pumpkin, flat green beans, gourd, and singletrunk trees like coconut, papaya, and 36

banana. Residents use the runoff from the roads, rainwater, and sometimes water from the river for irrigation.

Water-efficient plants on a trellis and minimum footprint are an excellent choice to grow near the polluted river.

Homesteads mostly use banana, coconut, and taro.

Sabiha Haque is a Dhaka-based landscape architect who specialises in research-driven landscape design and construction.

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⁴ Baki, Mohammad Abdul, Md. Muzammel Hossain, Naser Ahmed Bhouiyan, and Md. Asaduzzaman.

2017. Fish Species Diversity, Fishing Gears and Crafts from the Buriganga River, Dhaka. Bangladesh Journal of Zoology 45(1): 11-26. ISSN: 0304-9027 (print), 2408-8455 (online). ⁵ ibid.

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1. Dover Esplanade diagram. © Tonkin Liu

Three Waves – the new landscape of Dover Esplanade In 2009 Tonkin Liu won a Landscape Institute – CABE Space competition for a new landscape in Dover.

One of the architects reflects on her recent visit.

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Anna Liu

It is always a bit unnerving to revisit a project one has designed and delivered some time ago.

Has it weathered well? Has it been cared for and loved? Is it living up to its utmost potential? Our trepidation before visiting Dover Esplanade was allayed on arrival.

The undulating textured precast concrete walls have endured and endeared, still white but worn soft by the sea air’s sculpting. The different social groups perching within the bays and the planting in the shingle all felt bedded-in.

Three Waves, our proposal for Dover Esplanade, was conceived as three artworks – Lifting Wave, Resting Wave, and Lighting Wave – that have grown out of their social and environmental context and the

way they are constructed. The design harnesses the architectural language of Dover’s identity: the gentle nature of waves on the sheltered beach, the rhythmical sweep of the Georgian seafront terrace and the undulating topography of the White Cliffs of Dover.

The Lifting Wave is a repeated formation of sculptural ramps and staircases made of pre cast white concrete that rise and fall to connect the Esplanade to the lower shingle beach. The Lifting Wave combines ramps formed of miniature steps that create a light-catching textured surface, with layered steps. The gentle ramps’ sinuous lines allow access for all and bring dynamic form to the beach. The experience of going to and from the sea is enriched by shingle gardens of local plant species between the undulating ramp and the new seawall coping. Rainwater is directed along the slatted surface into a channel at the side of the ramp.

The Resting Wave is a sculptural retaining wall that runs the length of the Esplanade, providing seating spaces sheltered from the south-

westerly wind and orientated towards the sun. The wall is constructed with a shifting geometry of pre cast white concrete blocks cast in stacked timber moulds, which result in a textured surface evocative of the sedimentary

2. Dover Esplanade. © Mike Tonkin

3. Dover Esplanade at night, to the castle. © Mike Tonkin

4. Dover Esplanade. © Robbie Polley

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The gentle ramps’ sinuous lines allow access for all and bring dynamic form to the beach.

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5. Dover Esplanade in 2014. © Mike Tonkin

6. Dover Esplanade in 2015. © Fred Williams

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The project has increased access, safety, and usable spaces along the seafront.

strata layers of Dover’s White Cliffs.

The surface creates shadows, minimising glare and discouraging fly-posting and tagging. Within the wall’s recessed bays are benches made of weathered oak, shot-blasted and bleached to the texture of ocean driftwood, with war memorial plaques set into the oak. The Resting Wave’s form tilts back and forth in a system of convex and concave forms, creating a rippled surface that catches the light. Undulating raised lawns follow the curving line of the wall providing a setting for picnics, with trees bringing seasonal colour and shelter from the sun.

The Lighting Wave is a sculptural line of white columns with artwork that captures the light, bringing improved amenity lighting and programmed lighting sequences to the Esplanade.

Along the length of the Esplanade, the columns rise and fall, catching the light of the day as well as creating a lighting feature at night. The Lighting Wave combines large floodlights to illuminate the Lifting Wave, medium spotlights to accentuate the undulating Resting Wave, and mini spotlights to be reflected by the artwork at its top. The interactive low-energy LED lights were programmed to an intelligent lighting system that marks the passing of time with an energetic lighting sequence on the hour and a slower one on the quarter hour.

By looking for inspiration in the context of Dover as well as the

broader context of the sea, and by asking people and the place ‘what it wanted to be’, the three waves have responded to the environmental conditions of the seafront location.

Each explored themes at the scale of the city and at the fine scale of construction detail. Each fulfilled social tasks in the form of physical provision and through psychological association.

The creation of the three new waves brings a new interactive dynamism to the Esplanade. At its grand scale, it is visible from Dover Castle, and at the human scale, engaging residents to walk, sit, and gather on the seafront.

The project has increased access, safety, and usable spaces along the seafront. To the west of the Esplanade is a new Sea Sports Centre, to the east is a crossing linked to a tunnel that connects the seafront to the central town square. The Esplanade is backed by Waterloo Mansions, a listed five-storey Regency terrace dating from 1834, and between the mega scales of the Eastern and Western docks. Being the first encounter with the town for many ferry and cruise passengers, the existing Esplanade was recognised as an important amenity for Dover residents but was difficult to access, lacked a sense of place and failed to make an attraction of the seafront. By making the Esplanade into an attraction in its own right, more pedestrian connectivity is now required, and more commercial

amenities are needed. The project has regenerated the vacant ground floor spaces along the Esplanade.

Future plans for a cable car connection to Dover Castle, as well as the land bridge connection to Dover town centre, will be pivotal in making pedestrian connections for tourists and local residents.

From appointment to completion the project took less than a year. This was only possible with a committed client, design, and delivery team.

During its inception, the stakeholders included planners, district surveyors, members of Dover Town Council, Dover District Council and Kent County Council, working closely with Dover Harbour Board, CABE, SEEDA, and English Heritage. This meant that the project was continually supported by an informed group of stakeholders at key stages of approval.

The construction was fast-tracked by having the underground structure, services, and paving surfaces delivered by the dedicated Kent County Council term contractor, Ringways. In parallel, the three pieces of artwork, Lifting Wave, Resting Wave, and Lighting Wave, were fabricated by specialist artisan subcontractors.

Anna Liu and Mike Tonkin are qualified architects. Mike is also a qualified landscape architect.

Together they have delivered buildings, landscape, and sculptures for more than 20 years.

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1. Piscine D’Eau de Mer de Saint-Quay-Portrieux, Brittany, France. © Thibault Poriel

Chris Romer-Lee

A tidal pool, or ocean pool, is a seawater-fed pool that naturally overtops twice a day on the high tide; its significance for the landscape of water is considerable.

It’s been ten years since a CGI image of Studio Octopi’s first iteration of Thames Baths was featured in the pages of the Evening Standard.

What followed was a surprising wave of enthusiasm for the idea from Londoners and beyond.

The project seemed to put its finger on the disconnect between Londoners and the river, but also nature and the river. As well as capturing the tidal waters of the Thames for safe bathing, the evocative CGI seemed to capture a stillness that is so rare along the river. Amongst the bathers, verdant reeds, rushes and aquatic habitats emerged from the gabion cages that formed the pool perimeters. The lower pool was designed to float: rising and falling with the six-metre tide. The upper pool was a tidal pool. Set just below the high tide, twice a day the brackish river water would refresh the pool, providing six hours of fresh water for bathers.

Since the generously supported crowdfunding campaign, we’ve battled with authority naysayers and developer capitulations.

Thames Baths hasn’t been built despite a few near misses, but what did emerge was a niche obsession with tidal pools, leading to the Sea Pools book, published in August 2023. Memories of family holidays in Cornwall and more recent times in the chilly chalk waters of Walpole Bay Tidal Pool all fed the need to explore and record these remarkable structures that pepper our intertidal zones from Shoeburyness to Wick, Saltcoats to Westward Ho! Focusing solely on the UK would miss a wealth of examples. Sydney alone has over 30 tidal pools, New South Wales at least 60 – a similar

number of lidos that London had midcentury. South Africa has over 90 with further hotspots on Europe’s Atlantic coastline, the Far East and the US. At this point, it’s important to clarify the qualifying criteria that led to inclusion in Sea Pools. A tidal pool, or ocean pool as they’re called in Australia, is a seawater-fed pool that naturally overtops twice a day on the high tide.

I have avoided entirely pumped pools (e.g. Jubilee Pool, Penzance) although there are a few included that are supported by a pump. Each pool must have an element that is manmade.

Some are wholly new; others have delicate appendages that hold the water back from exiting a natural rock pool. Their position within the intertidal area, a liminal zone where nature and the manmade meet, provides much fascination. The vulnerability of the structures to nature is unrelenting.

The fragility of the smooth concrete additions exemplified by their cyclical exfoliation by nature, then hurried repair by humans.

The earliest tidal pools emerged around the late 18th century. Lady Basset’s Baths at Portreath were built in 1782 and are a good example of early tidal pools. Carved by the family’s stonemason straight out of the granite, seven of the eight pools are located a different height in the intertidal area so as to always provide a fresh body of water. Each is the size of a large bathtub and some have steps in and out, which are also carved from the rock. Over the 200 years of swells, the pool’s edges have become softened and rounded. They have a fleshy quality to them that simply doesn’t exist when you shutter concrete onto rock.

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physician in the 18th century, recommended immersion in (and consumption of!) the nutrient-rich seawater as a cure for all ailments.

The transition from inland spa establishments such as Bath, built in the belief that natural waters could treat skin disorders and other medical conditions, to the rugged coastline had begun. British seaside towns such as Scarborough, Brighton and Margate boomed, predominantly from wealthy aristocracy looking to indulge in seawater therapy. However, travel outside of the established cities was an arduous task and it wasn’t until the rapid expansion of the railway in the 19th century that seaside towns across Britain became accessible to everyone.

In Australia and South Africa, the arrival of colonists coincided with the fashion to ‘take the waters’. McIver’s Ladies Baths in Sydney is situated on a site that, prior to colonisation, had been reserved for Aboriginal women as a safe place for bathing and birthing.

The female colonists arriving in the 1830s adopted the site for swimming and within 40 years the pool was formally recognised as a womenonly site. Although it’s been legally challenged twice since then, McIver’s remains a place for those who identify as women and Sydney is a richer place because of it.

So many of the pools featured in Sea Pools were established by a community and remain run by the community. Although often navigating a chequered history, the significance

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of these pools to the community they serve cannot be overlooked. However, these pools didn’t simply appear in an ad hoc manner; they were carefully considered. From the research undertaken, tidal pools were built where one or more of the following occur: – A considerable tidal range (Kent and Brittany are good examples) – Access to the water is challenging due to a rocky foreshore – Where there are nasties in the water that might want to eat or sting you.

The one thread that links all tidal pools is the problem they solve. Unlike indoor and outdoor treated water pools, that are plonked anywhere, tidal pools are problem solvers. They were built to provide safe access to natural water and work hand-in-hand with nature. A nature-based solution. Some pools are shallow, like those along the Thames Estuary, or Mousehole Rock Pool, while others are considerably deeper, such as Walpole Bay Tidal Pool; but they all ensure that there is access to that vitamin-rich seawater at all states of the tide and regardless of the coastline topography.

The rich marine habitat that these pools facilitate was recently highlighted in Cape Town. Environmental campaigner Lisa Beasley managed to get the city authorities to stop painting the pools with white zinc paint and chemically treating the pool surfaces.

The results were instantly noticeably, as the pools became havens for kelp

and technicoloured nudibranch (sea slugs), amongst others. With a wealth of sheltering marine life, this opened the pools up to being places to learn from – laboratories on the beach.

Kids are brought down to the pool for their lessons, donning snorkels and wetsuits, and the pools help them become that much closer to nature.

Lisa’s story inspired Studio Octopi to look beyond tidal pools as only a place for swimming and socialising.

Earlier this year, Swim the Wight CIC, a charity dedicated to making the sea around the Isle of Wight swimmable for all, commissioned Studio Octopi to look at options for a new tidal pool on Yaverland beach.

Our team involves the eco-engineers Artecology, also based in Yaverland, who will be working with us to craft regenerative ecological environments through the pool structures. These ‘intentional habitat’ products are designed specifically for building biodiversity and bio-abundance in a world where climate change, sea level rise, habitat loss and biodiversity collapse are all too common. The Isle of Wight’s sea defences are also being reviewed. Inspired by work done in Australia by Nicole Larkin, the hope is that the Environment Agency, Natural England and the local council will see the benefits of including a tidal pool within the upgrading of the island’s sea defences. Working closely with Southampton University’s National Oceanography Centre and coastal engineer Professor Robin McInnes, the pool’s design will not only look

2. CGI of proposed Thames Baths river water pools along the Victoria Embankment adjacent to Blackfriars Bridge, London. © StudioOctopi & Picture Plane

3. Sea Pools: 66 saltwater sanctuaries from around the world

by Chris Romer-Lee is published by Batsford.

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4. Harmony Park, Cape Town, South Africa. © Jay Caboz

to bring a laboratory to the beach, but also benefit the community and visitors with an asset that helps protect them from sea level rises.

On the land there is a major pool crisis unfolding. Swim England recently launched its Don’t Put a Cap On It campaign¹ which presented the shocking status of the current situation. A thousand swimming pools have closed since 2010 and a further 1,500 more are 40-plus years old and at the end of their operational lifespan.

It’s worth also noting that older pools can contribute as much as 40% of a council’s direct carbon emissions.

What’s perhaps most shocking about the findings is that three times more public pools have been lost in the most deprived areas of the country, compared with the richest. But this isn’t only a problem for England. In France the energy crisis has hit pools hard and in Australia, 40% of the public pools will have reached the end of their

lifespan by 2030: the cost to replace them is estimated at AU$8 billion.

However, Australia has already begun to consider the future. In 2020, Sydney’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, suggested that it would cost AU$3–8 million to install an ocean pool with around AU$100,000 running costs, attracting up to 150k visitors a year. The analysis also found that health and economic benefits would be between AU$6 and 10 million per year: about AU$40 per visit per person. These figures can’t be ignored, and Studio Octopi hope to be able to undertake similar research in the UK shortly.

There are no new tidal pools in the UK, yet Studio Octopi are refurbishing two 1930s pools in Scotland. In Europe, a few have been built, not all successfully. The most interesting is Sjøbadet Myklebust in Norway, which was built as part of a new

development in 2015. The connection between low maintenance and the now proven health benefits of sea bathing are fully acknowledged in Scandinavia, and this is evidence of just that.

In the shadow of a brutal economic climate for pools, new tidal pools should be considered along the UK coastline as a way to keep the nation swimming. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that there is so much more to be offered by these pieces of coastal infrastructure.

Access to blue spaces is critical to our wellbeing but can also be part of the nation’s fight against the loss of habitats by engaging in broader educational and research-based learning along our coasts.

Chris Romer-Lee is co-founder of architects Studio Octopi & Future Lidos Group.

On the land there is a major pool crisis unfolding.

Swim England recently launched its Don’t Put a Cap On It campaign¹ which presented the shocking status of the current situation.

¹ https://www. swimming.org/ swimengland/dontcap-swimming/

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Landscape-led waste water infrastructure We have an important opportunity to embed landscape design into everyday water infrastructure, argues a member of the National Infrastructure Commission’s Design Group.

Madeleine Kessler

Years ago, navigating my way through Tokyo’s dense urban grid, surrounded by anonymous highrise towers, I stumbled across a beautiful tranquil park. The dull hum of traffic was replaced by the laughter of children playing, 1.

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a t'ai chi class below rustling trees, an elderly couple gossiping, all amongst the steady churning of water below.

The park was raised, allowing glimpses into open tanks of water, visibly changing in colour and texture, reflecting pieces of the city’s skyline in different ways. Having lived in cities all my life, I realised that this was the first time I had seen a water treatment plant, sparking my fascination with the possibilities to improve both human and planetary health by integrating landscape design with heavy infrastructure.

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1. Metropolitan Board of Works map of Bazalgette’s plan for the Lines of Main Intercepting, 1865 Creator: Unknown Artist. © London Metropolitan Archives / Bridgeman Images

2. Bazalgette, The Thames Embankment, 1867 (litho) Creator: English School, (19th century). © London Metropolitan Archives / Bridgeman Images

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¹ www.sas.org.uk ² https://storiesof-london.org/ embankment/

Wastewater treatment is one of the most pressing health hazards of our time. All too often we have become accustomed to conveniently forgetting about our waste, flushing it away ‘out of sight, out of mind’.

In the UK, we rely on an antiquated combined sewerage system, a lot of it built more than 150 years ago.

Population growth, more frequent storms due to climate change, blockages from non-flushable products entering the system, and poor maintenance, have all led to our sewerage system becoming increasingly overwhelmed. As a result, sewage regularly overflows into rivers and the sea, leading to sickness in those who come into contact with it and destroying delicate ecosystems.

The Safer Seas and Rivers App by

Surfers Against Sewage reports that 75% of UK rivers pose a serious threat to human health, and issued nearly 4,500 pollution alerts around the UK in October 2023 alone.¹ We urgently need to upgrade the sewerage system across the UK, and this could be an exciting opportunity for a landscapeled approach that forces infrastructure strategy to go beyond just being purely functional, to improve everyone’s quality of life and bring additional long-term environmental, social and economic value.

Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s combined sewer system for London, designed following the Great Stink of 1858, incorporated a multilayered approach to infrastructure. The new sewerage system required the reclamation of marshland along the Thames,

providing an opportunity to holistically integrate landscape, public realm, and transport at different levels. At Victoria Embankment a new road and pedestrian walkway were built above the new sewer to help ease congestion, alongside a cut-andcover tunnel to accommodate the new District Line, and new landscaped parks, amenity and civic spaces. This part of London, which owes its existence entirely to Bazalgette’s holistic approach to infrastructure design, remains one of the most dynamic parts of the city to this day, popular with Londoners and tourists alike.² More than 150 years later, the Thames Tideway, a 25km super-sewer which is currently under construction, incorporates a similar holistic approach

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to infrastructure design. Land reclamation along the River Thames is usually prevented by planning policy, but the pressing need to upgrade London’s sewerage system resulted in this being approved, leading to a unique opportunity for three acres of new public realm along the riverfront at seven different locations.³ Importantly, these new public spaces connect the general public with the sewerage scheme, helping to communicate the long-term value that this megaproject (the construction of which has been expensive and disruptive) will bring in improving the health of both Londoners and the Thames.

The new public realm, designed by Gillespies and Hawkins\Brown, evokes a sense of civic pride and celebrates a sewerage system that will benefit Londoners for generations to come.

The design physically connects the public with the water through ‘floodable’ spaces, in which the public will be able to ‘dip their toe’ in the cleaner river for the first time, 46

encouraging an awareness of the importance of maintenance and care for our infrastructure and environment.⁴ Projects such as Thames Tideway are all too few and far between, but they show us what is truly possible with design-led strategic thinking across disciplines and scales, and the longterm value that a holistic approach to landscape and infrastructure can bring.

It is not just large-scale projects that can benefit from a landscape-led approach. Whitney Water Purification Facility and Plant, in Connecticut, USA, designed by Steven Holl and Michael Van Valkenburgh, is a water treatment facility that communicates the water treatment process through its landscape. The facility creates a publicly accessible, ecologically diverse landscape on top of the plant, reflecting the different treatment zones through planting. For example, a field of wild mosses is punctured by bubble skylights, reflecting the bubbling of water in the ozonation zone, and agitated grass mounds are

penetrated by streams corresponding to rapid mixing and high turbulence.

The facility has proved popular as both a recreational and educational space, sparking curiosity and reconnecting the public with their essential infrastructure.

The long-term economic, environmental and social value of holistically incorporating a landscape design into our essential infrastructure is clear. So why don’t more infrastructure projects take a holistic design-led approach? The National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) Value of Design in Infrastructure Delivery report found that one reason for this is a ‘deep-seated perception that good design adds cost and poses risks to delivering projects on time and on budget’, when in fact the same report shows there is much evidence to the contrary.⁵ As designers we are taught to invent briefs and question strategic decisions, but in practice, by the time a client approaches us many decisions have already been

3. Thames Tideway Tunnel The Thames Tideway project will create new public spaces next to and on the river, opening views to some of London’s key landmarks and reconnecting people with the River Thames. © Hawkins\Brown

³ https://www.tideway. london/benefits/openspaces/ ⁴ https://www.tideway. london/benefits/openspaces/ ⁵ https://nic.org.uk/app/ uploads/NIC_Valueof-Design_double.pdf page 9

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made, leading to frustration for all.

Over the past four years I have been working as a member of the National Infrastructure Commission’s Design Group to explore opportunities to holistically embed design into strategic decision making and champion design excellence across all infrastructure projects.

The NIC’s Design Group launched the UK’s first ever Design Principles for National Infrastructure in 2020.

The four principles – Climate, People, Places and Value – aim to guide the planning and delivery of all major infrastructure projects, and have since been adopted by the government’s National Infrastructure Strategy.

Earlier this year, I curated the NIC’s first ever Design Symposium, which included a roundtable discussion hosted by the Landscape Institute around Water and Floods, with

the aim of embedding the design principles into all infrastructure projects, whilst also bringing design-led recommendations to the government. These recommendations were incorporated into the National Infrastructure Assessment, published in October 2023, which includes recommendations around naturebased solutions for drainage and waste-water treatment, as well as ‘a step change’ to deliver and appoint board-level design champions and embed wider design leadership and culture in all nationally significant infrastructure projects from the earliest stages.⁶ As our cities continue to grow, our planet continues to overheat, and our existing infrastructure is increasingly overwhelmed, we urgently need to upgrade our water infrastructure.

There is an important opportunity

for a holistic landscape-led approach, which transforms our essential infrastructure from purely functional structures to beautiful places that improve quality of life for generations to come. Let us take pride in our waste-water landscapes, and lead the way in creating delightful places which care for our communities, ecology and planet.

Madeleine Kessler is an architect, curator and urbanist dedicated to designing joyful, people-centred places that contribute positively to our planet.

As our cities continue to grow, our planet continues to overheat, and our existing infrastructure is increasingly overwhelmed, we urgently need to upgrade our water infrastructure.

⁶ https://nic.org.uk/ app/uploads/Final-NIA2-Full-Document.pdf page 150

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A new Ice Age

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1. View of Lee Valley Ice Centre. © J A Milewska, LDA Design

Joanna Asia Milewska

When it comes to climate, nature recovery and creating greater social equity, most acknowledge that business as usual is nowhere near enough. Innovation and new thinking are needed at every turn.

Lee Valley Ice Centre (LVIC) now provides two Olympic-sized ice rinks,

The Lee Valley Ice Centre, which opened in North East London this year, aims to be the most sustainable ice centre in the UK. suitable for elite skaters as well as everyone else, a gym, studios, café, and community space. This new building replaces a near windowless 1980s single rink venue used a lot by local people but which was at the end of its operational life. It doubles the previous capacity to over half a million

people a year. Olympic gold-medallist and president of British Ice Skating, Robin Cousins, said the Centre was the perfect place to launch Skate UK, a new national learn-to-skate programme.

LVIC is a significant investment and a win for the community. If the story 49

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ended there it would still be a good one. But in every way, the LVIC story is one of reinvention and doing things differently.

The site is adjacent to the River Lea in Waltham Forest and to Walthamstow Marsh Nature Reserve, which is one of the last remaining examples of London’s once widespread floodplain grasslands.

The old centre, with its amenity lawns and extensive car parking, never formed part of the history of the place.

LDA Design is responsible for a £1.5m landscape transformation to realise the site’s ecological potential and let typical marshland species recolonise the site.

The ambition is to make nature and climate awareness part of the visitor experience.

Both the striking new building, by architects Faulkner-Browns, and

the landscape have been designed to use water carefully and recycle it wherever possible. This includes, for the first time ever in the UK, ice melt.

In a busy rink, the ice is resurfaced up to ten times a day, with the top layers scraped off to create a smooth surface. Up to 16m³ of ice shavings will be created each day from these two ice rinks. The old ice centre disposed of the shavings in the traditional way, discharging the melt water into the sewerage system. With Expedition Engineering, LDA Design has devised a system to reuse the ice melt, saving up to six million litres of water a year. This sets a benchmark for future ice rink developments.

The ice melt is treated by filtering through constructed wetlands with ecologically rich ponds, including two ponds at the main entrance to the Ice

Centre. They all feature plants native to the marshes which lie just behind the Centre. A mixture of open water and surface leaf cover, as well as shallow banks and vertical plants, attract birds and mammals and provide breeding habitat and cover from predators.

Following final approval from the Environment Agency, the cleaned water creates a fresh flow to improve water quality in a currently nearstagnant oxbow lake on the River Lea. Oxygenation of water in the lake will support efforts by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority to reintroduce the European otter there. A holt has been installed in the lake and it is hoped that once the water is healthy and capable of supporting fish and plant life, a pair of otters currently surveying the banks of the River Lea will choose to set up home there.

2. Aerial image of oxbow lake. © Robin Forster LDA Design

The ambition is to make nature and climate awareness part of the visitor experience.

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3. Ponds in front of Lee Valley Ice Centre.

park. The Centre recently received a special ‘London in Bloom’ Gold.

The new Centre gives visitors to use elite-level sports and training facilities, but also to immerse themselves in a thriving ecology. A green corridor along the site’s northern edge allows invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals to move between the woodlands to the east and the west. Over 150 native trees have been planted including local cuttings of black poplars (Populus Nigra) which traditionally marked the field boundaries on floodplains such as Walthamstow Marshes.

There are swift boxes in the building façade, insect hotels in the bicycle shelters, and hedgehog shelters in the woodland. Rare and threatened bumblebees have already been sighted. All this has encouraged LBWF to include an annual biodiversity awareness education programme for up to 30 schools and local groups as part of community activity at the centre over the next ten years.

LVIC aims to set a new UK design standard, bucking a trend which is unfortunately seeing leisure centres threatened with closure. It shows what good looks like. It means that London has gained a great ice rink in harmony with its glorious, ecologically rich setting.

© J A Milewska / LDA Design

4. Bike shelter with green roof. © Robin Forster / LDA Design

5. Gabions outside Lee Valley Ice Centre. © J A Milewska / LDA Design

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Ice melt water is also being used to establish plants in the beds along the gabion walls around the perimeter of the building. Climbers like roses, honeysuckle, hop and ivy will cover the walls and create a microclimate for mosses and lichens, providing a variety of food sources and hiding spaces for invertebrates, birds, bats, amphibians, and reptiles. Four months after the Centre’s opening, grass snakes have been spotted retreating into the gabion walls – exactly what the walls were designed for.

The project is supported by a wider exemplar surface water drainage strategy which maximises the volume of water clean enough to be allowed into the River Lea and helps to manage flood risk. Rainwater is also reused. A

key benefit of this pioneering approach is a significant reduction in the energy use and carbon emissions which arise from the pumping and treatment associated with discharging of ice melt to the sewerage system.

LVIC was an early adopter of biodiversity net gain and urban greening factor standards, and LDA Design worked closely with London Borough of Waltham Forest (LBWF) to deliver exceptional levels of ecological gain: 35% for biodiversity net gain, over three times the government standard, and 0.6 for urban greening, double the requirement. This was achieved by replacing the amenity lawns and overspill car park with wildflower meadows and adding generous swales in the site’s only car

Joanna Asia Milewska is a landscape architect with LDA Design. Recent projects include the BREEAM Outstanding Ravelin Sports Centre for the University of Portsmouth and Lee Valley Ice Centre.

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Woodberry Wetlands Marc Tomes

Woodberry Wetlands is an historic but operational reservoir on the New River, managed by London Wildlife Trust (LWT), owned by Thames Water (TW) and located in the London Borough of Hackney (LBH). Formerly known as ‘East Reservoir’, it lies adjacent to the decommissioned ‘West Reservoir’, now used primarily for waterbased recreation.

Together they are a spectacular and highly valued asset within a dense urban area, reflected in Woodberry Wetlands’ designation as Metropolitan Green Belt, Site of Metropolitan Importance for Nature Conservation, and containing two Grade II Listed structures.

Adding more relevance and vibrancy to the Wetlands is a major regeneration project that wraps around the north of the site. Led by Berkeley Group (BG), the ‘Woodberry Downs’ project focuses on creating a sustainable community, with large and improved public open spaces as well as new community facilities.

Well underway, with over 5,500 new homes set in 64 acres, much of the focus of the development is centred on the reservoirs.

Allen Scott worked with the Partnership of LWT, BG and TW to 52

Woodberry Downs is home to a project that brings together housing, leisure and access to nature in the heart of the capital. realise their joint objectives of the vision in opening the reservoir to public access, engaging and educating people in the site’s natural, built and industrial heritage, enhancing links with the new community, and increasing the diversity of the wildfowl habitat and wider biodiversity values.

Transformation of the reservoir The East and West Reservoirs were built between 1830 and 33 to purify water in the New River, and to act as a water reserve, serving as an operational unit until 1992. Once the TW ring main was completed, West Reservoir became surplus to operating requirements, and East Reservoir was separated to become the sole operating unit. In 1995 TW and LBH entered into an agreement for West Reservoir to pass to LBH for amenity usage and for East Reservoir to be managed for nature conservation interest by LWT, who began with a converted shipping container as a staff and education base.

Just 12 years ago at Woodberry Wetlands, then still known as just ‘East Reservoir’, TW operated a strictly no public access policy and a high-security fence ringed the whole perimeter. Pre-booked LWT groups were allowed but had to be escorted,

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and habitat projects were largely limited to small corners. Through the energy and commitment of LWT, the partnership was born to re-imagine the role of the reservoir. With due credit to those organisations, the mutual benefit of ‘doing something’ was enthusiastically embraced.

The potential to create a new nature reserve in the heart of London and to lever that gain to raise greater awareness and funding of their work across London was one of their driving forces. Similarly, TW, at a corporate level, was widening its focus from a commercial water provider to the active implementation of social, cultural and environmental policies.

This project had the potential to give them gains in all three areas, subject to their operational constraints.

When BG commenced its major

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1. Coal House. © Allen Scott

2. Expansion of reed beds, 2015. © London Wildlife Trust

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3. Sir David Attenborough opening the Wetlands. © London Wildlife Trust

4. Volunteering party. © London Wildlife Trust

The focus on nature involved creating a sizeable reed bed habitat and to manage this for maximum wildlife gain.

regeneration project, it forged alliances with community and social housing organisations and quickly learned how much the reservoirs meant to the community. The masterplan was reorientated, so the reservoirs became the centrepiece of the new Woodberry Down and the edges around the reservoir were animated with reed bed drainage, a playground, seats, outdoor gym and an amphitheatre. Later on, BG provided additional funding through the LWT partnership to realise key green infrastructure links and public access points into Woodberry Wetlands.

Once these mutual benefits and a shared vision was realised, Allen Scott was commissioned to undertake a feasibility study that explored a number of strategic approaches. These ranged from a closed ‘nature-only’ reserve to an out-and-out leisure led option, but the clear winner was to open the reservoir to everyone and establish a new six-acre reed bed.

began in earnest over 2014 and after construction Woodberry Wetlands opened to the public in 2015, for the first time since 1830.

The focus on people encouraged access via a new entrance sequence, the existing entrances being only for TW maintenance vehicles. The journey into the Wetlands starts within the Woodberry Downs landscape, through a distinctive Corten shelter made by metalsmiths, ZedWorks Design, across a new bridge over the New River and then a boardwalk across the corner of the reed beds.

This leads to the ‘Coal House’, one of the previously derelict listed buildings, which was completely restored to become a popular café with profits reinvested into the Wetlands. Adjacent

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Amenity for both people and nature This preferred strategic option was refined to meet as many wildlife, social, marketing and educational objectives as possible to secure full partnership support. Following a successful bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2013 for gap funding, design work 53

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to the café, new facilities were built for a volunteer base. The involvement of the community in maintaining the Wetlands has been a primary tool to boost social pride and interaction between people and the environment.

A new circular path allows visitors to circumnavigate the reservoir, with further stops at LWT’s education centre and at an outdoor classroom by ‘Ivy House Sluice’, the other restored listed structure. The entrances and paths have been designed such that sections can be closed at certain times, for instance when there are sensitive species during breeding season, and there are management rules regarding jogging and dogs to balance tensions between wildlife and people.

The focus on nature involved creating a sizeable reed bed habitat and to manage this for maximum wildlife gain. The reed beds are key to enhancing the reservoir, not only as a London-wide site for nature but also as a ‘feeder site’ to the International and European designated Lee Valley Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site, which includes the Walthamstow Reservoirs Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). These sites received their designations in part due to the numbers of internationally important wintering birds, specifically bittern, gadwall and shoveler, which would have the opportunity to rest, and even nest, at Woodberry Wetlands.

But in addition to the reed beds, other habitats including hedgerows, grassland, wildflower meadow and an orchard have also been created by the project, which are managed and

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maintained by volunteers. As a result, Woodberry Wetlands supports lots of species throughout the year, from wintering populations of wildfowl to reed warbler and bunting migrating from Africa. Kingfisher is now common, along with many other bird species.

The complete range of birds, bats, amphibians and invertebrates at Woodberry Wetlands can be found on LWT’s website.

Challenges of retaining a working reservoir Woodberry Wetlands (East Reservoir) is classed as a statutory reservoir under the Reservoirs Act 1975, as it retains greater than 25,000m³ of water above ground level. It is fed with water from the New River and stores the water for onward pumping to the Copper Mills Treatment Plant in Walthamstow. The Act is aimed at preventing an uncontrolled release of water, and requires regular inspections by qualified engineers as well as maintenance and repairs. TW facilitates this requirement in tandem with public access, only rarely requiring a section to be closed off in the event of larger machinery needing access. A separate and secure vehicular access is provided for this purpose, shared with deliveries and emergency vehicles.

Benefits to the local community Being free and open to the public for the first time since they were built makes Woodberry Wetlands very special. The space attracts visitors from all over London and beyond but primarily it is a focal centre of community involvement, catering to the large residential surroundings.

LWT runs practical conservation volunteering sessions throughout the week for people to get their hands dirty with practical maintenance tasks, such as managing the reed bed, the hedgerows and meadows. A team of conservation and warden volunteers also assist with weekend visitors and at special events.

The Wetlands are very popular with school groups, and schoolchildren can go ‘minibeast hunting’, pond dipping, and take part in wildlife habitat walks. The outdoor learning projects

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are developed in close dialogue with schools to ensure activities are linked to the national curriculum.

Education volunteers learn how to deliver successful environmental learning programmes and have the opportunity to shadow experienced LWT staff to help run formal and informal wildlife sessions for people of all ages.

Legacy Woodberry Wetlands has been a hugely successful project. As a closed and private reservoir, there were various past plans to decommission it and sell it for high-rise housing development and even to use it as an urban solar farm. But through private, public and third sector partnerships, a better vision has been realised for everyone.

This urban water is now protected and enhanced, and the community engaged with nature in new ways.

It creates a foreground to new homes, a centre of social activity and a haven for wildlife, all while maintaining operations as an engineered reservoir feeding a water treatment plant for distribution across East London.

Marc Tomes is a landscape architect and director at Allen Scott Landscape Architecture.

5. View over the Wetlands. © London Wildlife Trust

6. Informal education. © London Wildlife Trust

7. Outdoor classroom and Ivy House Sluice. © Allen Scott

C A S E S T U DY

River Cole realignment Christoph Brintrup

Despite the cancelling of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester, the line from London represents a major investment in landscape-led design.

1. Bird's-eye view looking southwest over the realigned River Cole during summer, ten years postconstruction. © HS2 Ltd

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In Phase One of HS2 Britain’s new zero-carbon high-speed railway – the Delta Junction in the West Midlands – will be one of the project’s most complex network of structures. It is a triangular section made up of nine precast segmental viaducts, embankments, and other bridging structures, with around 10km of track crossing a network of motorways, roads, and rivers. At the very southern tip of the Delta Junction is the River Cole, which needs to be realigned in order to build two of the viaducts.

The design challenge offered a great opportunity not only to conserve and restore, but also to enhance the landscape by creating new wildlife areas inspired by local heritage around the proposed viaducts.

Meanwhile, new footpaths and cycleways will promote active travel and enable people to explore the rich history of the area.

Wetlands, ponds, and habitats will also provide homes for fish, amphibians, dragonflies, otters, great crested newts, reptiles, and badgers, increasing the local biodiversity.

The land beside the River Cole has been identified as a heritage hotspot, with a rich history from pre-Roman times up to the middle of the last century. The main heritage assets of the area, the Elizabethan Manor of Coleshill Hall, and Coleshill Manor parkland with the Elizabethan Garden, itself uncovered by HS2 archaeologists, have been used by the landscape architects involved to influence the design in this location.

For the area closest to the viaducts, a parkland landscape has been designed that flows down to the realigned river.

Further south, a grid of tree planting has been included, which harks back to a similar feature found in the Elizabethan era. The landscape-led approach that is applied to this and other projects along the HS2 route includes a variety of naturebased solutions that are developed by an interdisciplinary team of experts.

Landscape architects have worked closely with the river engineers to ensure compliance with hydraulic constraints.

The river realignment is designed to simulate the existing flow capacity, maintaining an adequate radius to avoid erosion at meanders and to ensure the

2. River Cole and Delta wider area. © HS2 Ltd

3. Ecological pond and river diversion linked to wetlands and footpaths for observation and potential otter holt. © HS2 Ltd

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4. Linking route and cycle network across the Delta area using maintenance access tracks. © HS2 Ltd

5. River Cole masterplan. © HS2 Ltd

6. View towards the River Cole, ecological ponds and viaducts from a public path during summer, ten year postconstruction. © HS2 Ltd

diversion does not exacerbate risk for the 120-year lifetime of the project.

The landscape design ensures a naturalistic watercourse, providing habitat for the existing valuable ecological assets such as fish and aquatic invertebrates. The incorporation of replacement floodplain storage areas offers opportunities for additional planting, and ecological habitats that further contribute to the project’s biodiversity. It is with much anticipation, through the eventual monitoring, that we will discover which species will establish and thrive in this new water course habitat.

With habitat connectivity as a key objective, the riverbanks have been arranged into distinct planting areas linked to local flora, with swathes of wet grassland and riparian planting that provide ecological habitats, alongside a small ecological park adjacent to the River Cole viaducts.

The introduction of the HS2 infrastructure and its associated developments have provided a unique opportunity to establish a new relationship between the railway, the landscape and the local communities by enhancing the historical significance of the area and its ecological features.

Consequently, the landscape integrates the railway into its surrounding environment by delivering various social and environmental benefits, whilst celebrating its local richness.

Christoph Brintrup is Head of Landscape for HS2 Ltd.

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The incorporation of replacement floodplain storage areas offers opportunities for additional planting, and ecological habitats that further contribute to the project’s biodiversity.

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Tree planting in urban environments for flooding mitigation The Essential Tree Selection Guide, published in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, highlights the latest research on the ability of trees to deliver important ecosystem services, deal with different growing environments and address flooding.

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1. Taxodium distichum. © Henrik Sjöman

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2. Crataegus lavallei. © Henrik Sjöman

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Henrik Sjoman and Arit Anderson As parts of the world increasingly suffer acute water shortages, making irrigation inappropriate, rain harvesting may prove an important approach to meeting future irrigation needs.

There is an increasingly positive attitude towards trees and tree planting in urban environments, not only among landscape professionals, but also from those who previously did not understand the importance of the urban canopy. A new language, which originates from the latest knowledge of the ecosystem services and functions that are linked to our trees, is now available to us. It enables us to communicate and argue for the value of the trees along our streets, in parks and in our private gardens. We can prove how important trees are in creating resilience towards the future challenges of increasing extreme weather.

One of the more adverse effects of climate change on our urban landscapes is the increase in pluvial flooding. Any means of slowing

down the water flow helps to mimic a natural hydrological cycle. Plants play an obvious role in this respect, and recently much attention has been paid to green roofs as part of a sustainable storm water management system, but also to trees and to non-vegetative elements such as permeable paving.

Here we will discuss how trees contribute to a more sustainable approach to storm water management by means of their canopies and the soil in which they are planted.

The need to be plant and site specific The primary way in which green space can help prevent the effects of pluvial flooding is by providing a natural route for rain and meltwater to infiltrate into the ground and contribute to groundwater recharge. In studies, where residential areas within the same river catchment have been investigated, the results show that the amount of space above ground was secondary to the type of soil below ground. One might think that a single home with a large garden would contribute less surface runoff to densely built-up areas. In fact, it can be equal if the single home

area is built on heavy clay, but the densely built-up area is built on sandy soil through which the water could quickly percolate. This shows that any disturbance of the natural land cover could cause more detrimental effects to infiltration and groundwater recharge on clay soil. For example, building and removing tree cover on clay soil causes far more of an increase in surface runoff compared to similar activity on sandy soil. This is not to say that sealing surfaces on sandy soil will not cause runoff – any surface sealing whatever the location will have that effect. However, the underlying soil profiles and properties and existing vegetation determine how much. It is very important to start from the soil profile on site and adapt accordingly, as the same solution or capacity can differ greatly between sites and projects.

Rain gardens In order to manage storm water, it is possible to introduce rain gardens, which tolerate temporary flooding.

When designing these types of plantings, it is important to ensure that flooding does not endure for too long and result in anaerobic (oxygen-poor) 59

RESEARCH

ground conditions. This process is, of course, simpler on permeable soils and drainage will always be slower on clay soils, where it may be necessary to introduce artificial drainage. As well as ensuring the plant bed retains water for just a short period before drainage occurs, it is also important to select plants that are able to tolerate having their root systems submerged in water for a short period and recover relatively quickly. The capacity of trees to tolerate oxygen-poor ground conditions varies considerably.

As parts of the world increasingly suffer acute water shortages, making irrigation inappropriate, rain harvesting may prove an important approach to meeting future irrigation needs. Instead of leading water away, we can lead water from roofs and other built parts of the garden into containers for later use or directly into planting beds, allowing carefully selected vegetation to develop and deliver other important ecosystem services in the garden. However, it is imperative that the constructions which are to handle this excess water are designed to prevent anaerobic conditions.

Trees for flooding In sites that suffer periodic flooding or waterlogging, the most important attribute for a tree species is quite simply the ability to ‘hold its breath’ during periods when the soil is oxygen deficient. One way that trees deal with this is by limiting the damage by transporting oxygen collected through lenticels on the trunk and branches down to the roots via the conduction pathways in the trunk. This has been demonstrated by studies of the white willow (Salix alba), crack willow (S. fragilis) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta). Another attribute that many wetlands trees share is the ability to grow an adventitious root system, in the form of new roots higher up the trunk. This is particularly valuable in environments that may receive a large supplement of alluvial sediment after flooding. It is especially evident among willow (Salix spp.), poplar (Populus spp.) and alder (Alnus ssp.). Growing adventitious roots at the water’s 60

surface, where oxygen is more readily available than deeper down, is another successful strategy for coping with wet, oxygen-deficient soil conditions.

Wet conditions compromise the ability of roots to absorb nutrients, an oxygen-intensive process, which may leave the tree malnourished. Many trees that grow in river valleys subject to both the continuous erosion of minerals and organic material and brief flooding events during the growing season have developed strategies for dealing with poor soil conditions and obtaining nutrients from elsewhere.

Among those with a natural ability to cope with poor soil conditions we find our native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), which is found in Europe in poor or occasionally waterlogged soils in environments such as marshes.

Here, the pine represents an outand-out stress-tolerant strategist, growing very slowly in these wet and resource-poor sites and seldom to any great size. There are, however, species that employ a more successful strategy to cope with poor, periodically waterlogged soils and grow relatively quickly into large trees. These include those that cope with brief flooding in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into nutrients that can be used by the tree.

Nitrogen-fixing tree species found in river valleys include the black alder (Alnus glutinosa), grey alder (A. incana), Caucasian alder (A. subcordata), Italian alder (A. cordata), honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos) and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia).

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Selecting right tree for the right site and function The Essential Tree Selection Guide aims to create a better understanding of what trees can deliver and which trees are suitable for particular functions and specific environments.

The Guide includes an in-depth description of over 550 different species and cultivars available today in European and North American nursery production – including common and traditional species as well as more unusual but promising ones.

Henrik Sjoman is senior researcher at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences & Scientific Curator at Gothenburg Botanical Garden where he teaches dendrology and plant use for urban environments.

Arit Anderson CMLI is an environmental advocator, TV presenter, writer and host of the podcast 'Growing Greener'.

The Essential Tree Selection Guide is published

by Filbert Press in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

3. Shangtung maple (Acer truncatum) growing wild in summer-cool and moist forest systems in the Qingling Mountains of central China. © Henrik Sjöman

In sites that suffer periodic flooding or waterlogging, the most important attribute for a tree species is quite simply the ability to ‘hold its breath’ during periods when the soil is oxygen deficient.

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4. Acer palmatum. © Henrik Sjöman

5. In Kyrgyzstan trees have developed properties to handle hot and periodically dry summers. © Henrik Sjöman

6. Pinus jeffreyi. © Henrik Sjöman

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v RESEARCH

Manufactured topsoils at the Olympic Park – a review of soil health ten years on One of the first major urban regeneration projects in the UK to use designed and manufactured soil is assessed – and the results are impressive.

Tim O’Hare

In 2010–2011, 48,000 cubic metres of manufactured topsoil was imported for the first phase (pregames) of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (QEOP). It was one of the first major urban regeneration projects in the UK to embrace the concept of designing multiple soil systems for specific landscape applications and, at the time, the use of this volume of manufactured topsoil to create an urban park was unprecedented.

Early this year, Tim O’Hare Associates (TOHA) completed a follow-up survey of the Park’s manufactured topsoils to assess their current health. The data from this latest survey has now been compared with the data from surveys TOHA carried out in 2010 during the main construction period, and in January 2012 on completion, and the results are exciting.

Background Healthy soils are a vital component in the delivery of ecosystem services, SuDS, various nature-based solutions and carbon sequestration, and are a key agent in fighting climate change and improving habitat resilience.

Comprising a balance of physical, chemical, and biological properties, they are susceptible to rapid deterioration if not managed correctly,

and some of the most significant negative impacts result from construction activities.

Remediation operations to deal with the QEOP’s industrial past yielded no reusable soil for landscape purposes and so all topsoil and subsoil had to be imported. The landscape design presented an extremely broad and ambitious range of planting environments, and each had to be catered for from a soil perspective.

Requirements for specific soil pH, lime content, fertility status (high and low), organic matter content, drainage capacity, and water retention, meant that more than one soil type was required, as shown in the pie chart below.

Of the soils used on the Park, the multipurpose topsoil, low fertility topsoil and high permeability topsoil

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3969 16449

Subsoil Multipurpose topsoil

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Low nutrient topsoil High permeability turf soil Moisture retentive turf soil iver edges and wet R woodland topsoil

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Structural tree soil and tree sand

v RESEARCH

1. Earthworms are one sign of a healthy soil.

2. Diverse planting requires specific soil properties.

All images © Tim O’Hare.

Whilst manufactured soils have been around for at least three decades, knowledge of their behaviour and performance has not been well researched.

Some have questioned their long-term sustainability, and even believe they will ‘run out of steam’.

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Summary of key findings

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were all ‘manufactured’: created by blending carefully selected mineral substrates with various organic ameliorants. The moisture retentive topsoil was created by reconditioning the soil washed from sugar beet crops.

Whilst manufactured soils have been around for at least three decades, knowledge of their behaviour and performance has not been well researched. Some have questioned their long-term sustainability, and even believe they will ‘run out of steam’. Only the growth and establishment of the plants above ground have so far provided some measure of a topsoil’s quality.

Study objective Prior to installation in QEOP in 2010, each topsoil complied with its respective specification, which included detailed sampling and testing protocols that had to be followed to ensure they were fit for purpose.

In January 2012, on completion of the landscape’s construction, TOHA undertook a soil health survey across the Park and in early 2023, a further soil health survey was undertaken. This has provided data on the soils’ current state following ten years of use as a growing medium and following exposure to environmental factors, including weathering and heavy footfall.

The objective of this study was to assess selected physical, chemical, and 64

biological properties of the four topsoil types below and compare the data with the archive laboratory data to provide insight into the longer-term quality and viability of ‘manufactured’ topsoils.

The study soils, and their principal landscape typologies, were: – Multipurpose topsoil (woodland, shrub and herbaceous planting beds) – Low fertility topsoil (species-rich meadows) – High permeability topsoil (amenity grass lawns) – Moisture retentive topsoil (swales).

Methodology The soils were assessed by a combination of in situ visual examination and laboratory testing of representative samples. The topsoils in the locations chosen had not received any further organic ameliorants since planting. For the testing, three replicates of each topsoil type were submitted to the laboratory. The test properties included: – pH (soil reaction) – Electrical conductivity – Organic matter – Major plant nutrients (total nitrogen extractable phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium) – Cation exchange capacity (a measure of overall nutrient retention capacity) – Soil carbon (organic carbon, inorganic carbon, active carbon) – Microbial activity (Solvita CO² burst).

Physical condition In 2012, many of the topsoils were described as ‘slightly compacted to compacted’ with constituent materials, including woody fragments from the composts, easily identified. In 2023, the topsoils had homogenised, and depths were comparable to their previous measurements with no significant settlement.

The multipurpose topsoil, low fertility topsoil and moisture retentive topsoil all displayed moderate to well-defined ‘granular’ and ‘blocky’ structures. The structure of the moisture retentive topsoil was well developed within the upper 100mm or so, and less well defined below this level. The high permeability topsoil was reasonably loose within the upper 90mm and became noticeably compacted below this depth.

Earthworms were recorded within the majority of the trial holes within the multipurpose topsoil, low fertility topsoil and moisture retentive topsoil but rarely recorded with the high permeability topsoil. There were no signs of perched water or restricted aeration.

Chemical parameters Each of the key chemical parameters were plotted graphically as ‘% change against 2010 values’. This was conducted to see any pattern of change for the chemical parameters against one another. The use of ‘% change’ as a measure enabled parameters with multiple units to be plotted together. pH value (soil reaction) The pH values for multipurpose topsoil, low fertility topsoil and moisture retentive topsoil have stayed broadly similar since installation.

In contrast, the mean average pH value of the high permeability topsoil declined from pH 9.0 at installation to pH 7.8 now, seemingly caused mainly by leaching out of potassium ions by rainfall and, to a lesser degree, the acidification of the soil by rainfall.

3. The objective of the study was to assess selected physical, chemical, and biological properties of four topsoil types.

RESEARCH

4. A healthy soil profile.

The soils now all display well-balanced levels of organic matter and nutrients, with deficiencies only found in the High Permeability Topsoil.

Electrical conductivity All soils showed reduced electrical conductivity values (a measure of soluble ions, including plant nutrients) from ‘moderate to high’ values in 2010, to ‘universally low and stable’ in 2023.

This reduction is normal and accounts for the loss of excess ions that come with the compost element.

Organic matter and total nitrogen When compared to their 2010 starting values, in 2023 most of the soils displayed increases to their organic matter content. Total nitrogen contents also increased.

Extractable potassium The levels of extractable potassium for all topsoil types fell from their 2010 values and again from 2012 to 2023.

In the main, however, the potassium values were considered acceptable, with the exception of the high permeability topsoil (average 78mg/l) which is lower than recommended.

Extractable phosphorus and extractable magnesium Levels of extractable phosphorus and magnesium tended to fall slightly from their starting values and, with the exception of the magnesium content of the high permeability topsoil, would all be considered acceptable for landscape purposes. The magnesium content of the high permeability topsoil was a little low.

Cation exchange capacity – 2023 values Values for the multipurpose topsoil, low fertility topsoil and high permeability topsoil were all ‘low to moderately low’, with levels typical in sandy soils such as these. The ‘moderate’ value for moisture retentive topsoil results from its higher clay content.

Carbon testing Samples were submitted for the following: – Soil organic carbon – soil carbon content associated with organic based materials – Soil inorganic carbon – carbon not relating to living matter – Active carbon – a measure of the proportion of organic carbon accessible to soil microbes and a useful soil health indicator.

The total carbon stocks for these topsoils ranged from 76 to 116 tonnes per hectare, with good amounts of organic carbon (2.1% to 4.2%) and active carbon from 810 to 1325 mg/kg.

Microbial activity Results for multipurpose topsoil, low fertility topsoil and moisture retentive topsoil were ‘moderate’ and would be considered acceptable for the time of year the samples were taken.

The value for the high permeability topsoil was ‘low’, seemingly due to a combination of factors, including high compaction levels.

4.

Conclusions The findings have confirmed that the overall health and condition of most of these topsoils is extremely good.

They are not only self-sustaining, but most have also improved over time

and although they looked man-made when they were installed, they now look, smell, feel, and perform like their ‘natural’ topsoil cousins.

The soils now all display wellbalanced levels of organic matter and nutrients, with deficiencies only found in the high permeability topsoil. They have developed in terms of physical condition (soil structure) and, after initial losses of organic matter and nutrients, the soils appear to have matured and stabilised and have since accumulated organic matter, total (organic) nitrogen, and soil organic carbon. All encouraging for carbon sequestration.

The structural condition of the soils has improved from ‘slightly compacted/compacted’ in 2012 to ‘no significant compaction’ in 2023 and they appear to be well drained and aerated. The exception to this is the high permeability topsoil, which was compacted below the upper 90mm. This soil was intended to function under high rates of foot traffic, which would cause this type of soil compaction. Nevertheless, it seems to be supporting the lawns to an acceptable standard with adequate drainage and aeration performances.

The Olympic Park’s soil strategy championed topsoil manufacture as the solution to fulfilling so many of the project’s key sustainability tenets. Ten years on, and with biodiversity net gain so vital to nature’s recovery, the findings of this study should install confidence that sustainable ‘designer’ soil materials (largely derived from recycled, renewable sources) are a viable, long-term solution for major urban regeneration projects in the UK. Tim O’Hare is Principal Consultant at Tim O’Hare Associates LLP, responsible for the design and implementation of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park soil strategy.

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LI life: LI Awards

1.

30th Anniversary LI Awards Celebrating three decades of connecting people, place and nature.

The LI Awards is an annual celebration of people, place and nature, and the myriad ways that landscape projects can connect them. Held this year on 3rd November, it was the Awards’ 30th anniversary, a tribute to the longevity of their impact and success.

To mark the occasion, this year’s ceremony looked back at 30 years of LI history, and celebrated the accomplishments, projects and people who have been a part of this journey, and helped the LI to achieve its aim of protecting and enhancing the natural and built environment for public benefit.

Within this story, not only have the LI 66

Awards consistently demonstrated the ways that landscape practice has responded to the demands of a changing world, but they have pointed to how it is shaping its future.

This year, entries across the board point towards a future in which landscape practice plays an essential role in helping the built and natural environment sectors deliver on their goals around climate, biodiversity, and health. Without doubt, this will remain the focus of the landscape profession in the vital years ahead.

Taking home the prestigious President’s Award, presented by President-elect of the Landscape Institute, Carolin Göhler, was

‘Challenging Public Health Inequalities Across Bradford District’, a wideranging scheme by Bradford Metropolitan District Council.

The project, which also won the ‘Excellence in Public Health and Wellbeing’ category, tackles public health disparities by integrating green and blue infrastructure, highlighting the vital role of the environment in health outcomes.

‘Mayfield Park, Manchester’, a project by Studio Egret West, won the ‘Excellence in Landscape Design’ and ‘Excellence in Place Regeneration’ categories, while both PRP and The Paul Hogarth Company also won two awards each.

1. The winners on stage. © Nick Harrison

2. Saira Ali collecting the President’s Award. © Nick Harrison

3. Host Jason Rowlatt. © Nick Harrison

4. CEO Robert Hughes with President-elect Carolin Göhler. © Nick Harrison

5. President-elect Carolin Göhler. © Nick Harrison

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LI life: LI Awards 6. Club Mob choose landscape. © Andrew Mason

7. Robert Hughes, CEO of the Landscape Institute. © Andrew Mason

8. Justin Rowlatt delivers a speech on his experiences reporting on the climate emergency to the audience. © Andrew Mason

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LI life: LI Awards 9. Members of the landscape Institute staff team with the President-elect. © Andrew Mason

LIST OF WINNERS Excellence in Landscape Planning and Assessment Cherry Hinton North Design Code – McGregor Coxall

Student Portfolio The power of nature – Jinming Wei

Excellence in climate, environment, and social outcomes Climate Ready Edinburgh – Atkins

Student Dissertation Award The Herring Girls – Nyima Murry

Dame Sylvia Crowe International Award Rijnvliet Edible Neighborhood – Felixx Landscape Architects Excellence in Biodiversity Conservation and Enhancement Urban Green UP – re-Shaped & Flavia Goldsworthy Landscape Legacy Award Renewable Energy, a new aesthetic? – MVGLA The Landscape Research and Digital Innovation Award Atlas for a City-Region – Critical Landscapes Design Lab and Gareth Doherty Excellence in Masterplanning and Urban Design Letterkenny 2040 – The Paul Hogarth Company Excellence in Landscape Design Mayfield Park – Studio Egret West Excellence in Heritage and Culture St Albans Sumpter Yard Revived – J&L Gibbons

Excellence in Small Landscape and Garden Design Glenkinchie Distillery – The Paul Hogarth Company Excellence in Place Regeneration Mayfield Park by Studio Egret West Excellence in Public Health and Wellbeing Challenging public health inequalities across Bradford District – City of Bradford Municipal District Council Building with Nature National Award Pydar – PRP Excellence in Collaboration, Engagement and Influence Dementia friendly design – PRP Landscape & Parks Management Stanmer Park Management Plan – LUC President’s Award Challenging public health inequalities across Bradford District – City of Bradford Municipal District Council

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ADVE R TO R I AL

LI Campus LI Campus offers access to all LI recorded events including three years of online events and conferences.

campus.landscapeinstitute.org

Kompan UK LI Webinar: Creating Healthier and Happy Communities: Outdoor Fitness with Local Benefits Available to download on LI Campus All around the world people of all ages and abilities are moving towards the outdoors to exercise. People’s wellbeing and mental health, especially after Covid, has never been more important. Offering a ‘free to use’ community fitness hub that everyone can access whatever their age or ability can positively contribute to this.

When it comes to community open air fitness areas, it is extremely important to include universal outdoor fitness facilities that cater to the most users. This could be stationary outdoor cardio equipment, or fitness facilities that require body weight such as calisthenics or cross training equipment. Outdoor strength training machines are now completely changing the game for outdoor fitness, as they have adjustable weights to ensure everyone can get a workout at their fitness levels.

Consultation can be key. Consulting the local community through the design process, where everyone has a say on what is required, can ensure the right scheme for everyone is installed to suit their various needs and goals. This avoids installing token pieces of equipment no one uses and wasting valuable funds.

As an end result, carefully chosen equipment with fitness related apps allows for everyone to have a full and beneficial workout.

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KOMPAN’s purpose is to create healthier and happier communities through impactful outdoor play and fitness solutions. We strive hard to provide our customers with products that deliver outstanding performance on all parameters.

creations. Tom switched up his design process to create playgrounds that were beautiful and timeless, like objects of art.

Since then, KOMPAN’s mascot figure – Homo Ludens – has become the iconic mark of inventive quality that says, ‘this is the art of playing.’

KOMPAN was born from art.

Half a century ago, sculptor Tom Lindhardt observed children playing on his artistic

www.kompan.co.uk

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1. Outdoor fitness with local benefits. © KOMPAN

ADVE R TO R I AL

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2. Gene Leahy Mall at The Riverfront. © Courtesy of OJB Landscape Architecture and Dan Schwalm

Vectorworks What’s new in Vectorworks 2024 for Biodiversity Available on LI Campus Join Vectorworks for a new webinar taking you through the newest updates and exciting new releases you won’t want to miss.

Vectorworks 2024’s new user interface (UI) improvements combine a streamlined and logical reorganisation with available customisation options for tools and palettes that allow you to create a highly minimal UI. This can help to enlarge the model space and support your creative design process.

The View Bar has three different modes: regular, compact and auto-hide.

Landmark 2024 introduces the Fence tool and Railing tool as two parametric objects with a high level of flexible customisation.

Guided by the needs of professionals like you, the Fence tool can incorporate customised gates, posts, gravel boards and other landscape-specific features in both 2D and 3D. It interacts with the site model surface and has edit options that allow for great customisation when it comes to the size and shape of the main fence parts.

In Vectorworks Libraries, you will find examples of fence and railing styles which can be used straight away, or further refined to suit your design needs.

Pre-formatted worksheets can be used for general reporting and materials specifications, allowing for a streamlined communication with contractors and clients. And speaking of 'communication with contractors', in Landmark 2024, you will benefit from the new concept of viewport styles, in which design stage specific settings can be saved as a resource and applied across the projects to generate viewports of a pre-defined style that communicate visually with various project stakeholders. The Site Model has a new function to create a graphically rich legend for site elevation and site slope analysis, giving you, the designer, the power to customise your graphic representation of site model data. The site model snapshot feature also has a powerful new freeze/unfreeze capability that will help you to showcase modifications of a site model across various project phases more easily.

By using Landmark Colors from a new industry specific colour palette, you can add the right tone and create graphics that represent the site model changes in detail. Improvements to shaded rendering options and camera

effects enable a real-time production of visuals with a higher level of realism.

Project sharing and data exchange has been simplified and enriched with additional functionalities – DWG Import/ Export options have been enhanced and you will also benefit from the newly introduced Excel referencing. With further update releases throughout the year, Landmark will continue enhancing the existing tools and creating workflows that facilitate environmental design and serve landscape professionals to design without limits.

Vectorworks, Inc. is an award-winning design and BIM software provider serving the architecture, landscape architecture and entertainment industries in 85 countries. Built with designers in mind since 1985, Vectorworks offers you the freedom to follow your imagination wherever it leads you. Vectorworks is a part of the Nemetschek Group.

www.vectorworks.net

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Hardscape provided Mixed Colour Pennant diamond-sawn bespoke shaped sandstone, Staffordshire Blue clay pavers, Inish and Corrib concrete paving, with permeable Drainjoint material utilised throughout.

Clients : Moon Eye Productions, Live Nation Architects : WOO architects, London Landscape Architects : Fira Landscape Architecture Contractor : ES Global

Permeable Paving Solutions for Inspiring Urban Spaces enq@hardscape.co.uk

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BBC Earth Experience & Empress Place, Earls Court