Richard Peckham MLA Profile
Current Position Partner, Shape Year of birth 1959 Nationality dual USA /British Languages English Qualifications Licensed Landscape Architect, State of California Masters Degree LA UC Berkeley, California 1989 BS Environmental Planning Rutgers University 1981 Key skills
A landscape architect, accredited and professionally licensed in the States, and practicing in Britain for the past twenty years. Previously principal landscape architect for Groundwork South London and presently co-partner in Shape, Richard works predominantly in public sector landscape projects with high degree of community involvement, including landscapes for social housing, design for play, parks and community gardens, habitat creation/ enhancement, access projects, and public realm improvements. Relevant skills include extensive experience in practical aspects of delivery: procurement and contracting matters; timeframes for development & delivery; cost control and programming on landscape projects with values ranging from £10k up to £1.5 million. Experienced lead consultant for multi-disciplinary teams, and successful in community based landscape design, Richard is familiar with current best practice, public policy, design and engineering issues, and works closely with Shape Partner, Bridget Snaith on all aspects of design and landscape strategy. He provides CDMC role, and leads on planning applications for the partnership. Selected Experience
Small Community Projects & Quick view at www.shape.eu.com Wins (20- 500k) SHAPE (2004-Present) Small Project Budget Estimation All London Green Grid Area 11 (20- 500k) Framework, GLA 2010/ 2011 Design for Play Shapes partners produced the Area 11 Design for Sport Framework, a landscape strategy across Public Realm Design 85 sq miles of the River Brent catchment in Brent, Barnet, Harrow, Ealing and Community Consultation & Hounslow. Following the partners Engagement area survey, Richard’s role focussed on CDMC identifying the specific project plans and budgets required to support delivery of Planning Permissions the overall strategic vision for this area. Contract Documents Southwark Cleaner Greener Safer Contract Administration 2006-2015 Small housing estate & streetscape Project Management improvements to a total value of circa AutoCad £1m, typically budgets of 20-80k. All projects originate with neighbourhood Adobe InDesign groups and require resident engagement. Freehand Drawing Includes play spaces, MUGAs, small public Writing / Editing realm/ access improvements, community gardens, public art and environmental DBS Clearance improvements, all with a high degree of Enhanced community involvement
Chumleigh Gardens Playable Landscape Southwark, 2009-10 Richard led on design and delivered this contemporary styled £900k new entrance to Burgess Park, on a brownfield site adjacent Listed buildings. Striking landforms make a series of spaces whose scale bridges the massive Aylesbury Estate and openness of Burgess Park, and the intimacy of Chumleigh. Facilities include plazas and seating, extensive retaining walls, fountains, lighting, and dedicated natural play area for children. Van Gogh Walk 2014 (£1.2m overall, Soft Landscape & Play £30k) Joint working with Lambeth Highways to design and deliver a resident led ‘homezone’ street and community garden project. The successful transformation of the street into a community garden and play space has won several awards. Erith Marsh Access & BAP Species Habitat Enhancement Thames Water / Groundwork London 2005-6 Part of the £1m Managing the Marshes project, where Richard was responsible for managing a range of capital projects. Erith Marsh works included project management, design, tender and contract administration on £220k works in sensitive wetland. Home to BAP species including water voles, all works were developed and implemented alongside site ecologist and hydrological engineers. Works including waderscrapes, timber and reclaimed concrete bird hides, bespoke steel bridges and viewing platforms, timber and concrete bird blinds, and extensive footpath network. River Cray Access Improvements Groundwork London 2005-6 Leading a small team in devising and delivering a programme of access improvements educational and arts programmes with local communities in the Cray River Valley, Bexley. (£250,000) GROUNDWORK SOUTH LONDON Principal Landscape Architect 2000-2004 Burgess Park ATP & Changing Rooms & Tennis Courts, 2004-5 Richard Peckham was responsible for general arrangement, overall project management, planning permissions and delivery of full size floodlighted football pitch and tennis courts in two projects with Studio E architects: a £1.6m development that featured earth sheltered, sustainable building , & tennis courts with changing rooms £450k
BRIDGET SNAITH LANDSCAPE DESIGN Partner, 1994-2000 Llandudno Open Spaces 1996-2000 BSLD’s £2.3 million project in Llandudno was the first of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Townscape Initiatives. The project is relevant for its engagement with highways reconfiguration to improve pedestrian movement and connection. We proposed and delivered renewal of two public squares blighted by traffic. At Northwestern Gardens, a run down green in the middle of a traffic junction was redesigned by BSLD with Council’s engineers. We moved traffic to one side to make a pedestrian space connected to active frontages. Landscape design used traditional details and furnishings sympathetic to the 1930s original. Planting combined evergreen shrub structure with perennial bedding. At Prince Edward Square, we led the redevelopment team with plans that replaced a vehicle-choked car park with a new road alignment that opened up sufficient space for a lawn, wide paths linking the main street and Promenade, and stone pavements to the base of the Cenotaph. Flood defence funding was leveraged in to provide for bespoke cast stone seating.