St. Mary’s Quarter, Elephant Park, London 

Budget: £4.7m (across multiple phases)

Project Team: BCA Landscape, John McAslam, AFL, Squire + Partners, Axis, Robert bird Group, TUV-SUD, AKT, URS, DP9

Lend Lease’s ‘One The Elephant’ (OTE) scheme was the first phase of ‘Elephant Park’ the UK’s first Climate Positive Development, providing 3,000 homes,  1,200 new trees and an energy hub giving net zero carbon heat and hot water to all homes.

OTE then became the first phase of the St Mary’s Quarter project for Southwark Council, which expanded to include the re-modelling of St Mary’s Park and the adjacent ‘Uncle’ PRS scheme in Newington Butts for developers Realstar, together with The Castle Leisure Centre and Southwark Playhouse Theatre.

The resulting integrated new public realm project across a variety of public and private areas in various ownerships, provided an extensive new and improved green infrastructure which included green walls (irrigated from water harvested in blue roof areas), jet plazas and mirror pool water features, balancing pond (fed by recycled surface water), a major new play area and a number of semi-private roof gardens including allotments for the new residential developments.

BCAL worked closely with the Architects (Squire and Partners, John Mc Aslan, Space +Place, and Axis/Sheppard Robson), the Southwark Borough engineers and TFL to craft a carefully coordinated pedestrian and cyclist friendly public realm which largely excludes vehicles and provides a major boost to the health and well-being of local residents.

New play areas, fountains, ponds, mirror pools, roof gardens, blue roof – SUDS system, green wall and extensive public seating are provided under groves of mature pine trees.

Blackhorse Mills, Walthamstow London

Budget: £3.3m

Project Team: BCA Landscape, ASSAEL

Blackhorse Mills is L&G’s flagship Build-to-Rent scheme of 479 new homes on the edge of the SSSI Walthamstow Wetlands. 1 Hectare of public realm and extensive private amenity on roof gardens, terraces, podiums and balconies with amazing views over the Lee Valley make this PRS scheme an extremely desirable place to live and visit.

Facilities include a heated swimming pool, tennis and shuffle-board courts, outdoor barbecue, children’s play area, 197 new trees and extensive new habitats all set in a virtually car –free, pet-friendly development.

BCAL have been involved from inception to completion, working closely with L&G, Architects Assael and Interior Designers Lister + lister.

“The design team has consolidated our brief into a development which meets the demands of today’s aspirationals, who are renting the whole building, the grounds, the service and the lifestyle- not just their apartment- and opens up the wetlands for the benefit of residents and the wider public” – Dan Batterton, Fund manager, BTR Legal & General

Madagascar Play at Chester Zoo

Budget: £0.5m

Project Team: BCA Landscape, Handspring Design, Lanes Landscape, Timber Play

Having fun is no trivial pursuit. In fact, it’s crucial to our mental health and happiness. The project expands the variety and type of play offer that was previously in the zoo and encourages higher forms of imaginary and creative social play within a series of exciting and flexible spaces.

Through creative innovation and careful design consideration it combines and balances all the latest thinking and research in the realms of the psychology of play and communication friendly spaces, with the needs of the zoo and its staff and a fascinating and playful exploration of the wonderful island of Madagascar.

There are a number of key themes and objectives that run through the scheme, including :- the use of Natural materials and a need to create a deeper connection with nature, the creation of welcoming and innovative people niches – for kids, teenagers, adults, grandparents and families and a flexible landscape where children can manipulate their environment to suit their imagination.

“Decades of research has shown that play is crucial to physical, intellectual, and social-emotional development at all ages. This is especially true of the purest form of play: the unstructured, self-motivated, imaginative, independent kind, where children initiate their own games and even invent their own rules.” – Can We Play? by David Elkind

The Voyage

Project Team: BCA Landscape, Smiling Wolf, Hardscape, Amey, Kings Construction

Awards: D&Ad 2018

This epic scaled stone seat over 50m long [160ft] – stretching the full length of the Cunard building – was opened by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Roz Gladden and the Captain of Queen Elizabeth, Inger Klein Olsen (first ever female captain of a Cunard ship).

The seat is inset with ‘The Voyage’ – a specially designed piece of artwork with beautiful and unique bronze illustrations and typography inspired by the fascinating history of Cunard.

It is the stunning centre-piece of the newly completed public realm that provides a high quality landscape setting befitting the Grade II* listed Cunard Building, one of Liverpool’s world famous three Graces. From Nova Scotia to New York and the Mauretania to the Queen Mary; ‘The Voyage’ explores a company who had an immeasurable impact on the city’s culture and its people.

“I remember her dazzling speed and the graceful way she would lean over into the zigzags to frustrate the undersea wolf packs.” – Paul Gallico writing about the Queen Mary during the second World War

Wirral Waters – Metropolitan College

Project Team: BCA Landscape, Parkinson Inc, Glenn Howells Architects, Turleys, DBK, Morgan Sindall, Jacobs Engineering, Hoare Lee

Awards: RIBA National Award 2016

Bold colours and forms, robust materials, close attention to details and new blocks of trees transform a derelict dock edge into an iconic and memorable landscape in scale with this post-industrial waterside neighbourhood.

“It is always important for us to help create unique places for people to use and enjoy that go beyond the functionality of access and parking. Here students, visitors and staff at the new campus are able to enjoy their break times outdoors, reclining on the urban loungers amongst the maritime grasses. Beautiful views over the docks are framed by the iconic red steel picture frames, inspired by the nearby Dock structures.” – Andy Thomson, Director at BCA Landscape

“One of the most successful aspects of the building is the way it works within an excellent landscape scheme. The setting of the dockside has been fully exploited, yet this is not a normal UK design response. The absence of barriers to water was noticeable and combined with the lack of perimeter fencing the landscape is allowed to act as an outside space that people want to be in – not an enclosed car park. It was this final aspect that persuaded the judges that this could indeed be worthy of an award – the building and its landscape can act as a blueprint for an excellent minimum standard for future phases.” – RIBA Judge

A Record of Lancaster

Budget: £125,000

Project Team: BCA Landscape, Smiling Wolf, Placemarque

Awards: Landscape Institute Award 2015, The Planning & Placemaking Awards 2016

Set in a new stone ‘performance plinth’ in the City’s centre and a series of new way-finding monolith’s, ‘A Record of Lancaster’ celebrates the city’s beat; detailing nine narratives in bronze and stone from Lancaster’s past and present through an engaging visual time-line. The scheme creates high quality public spaces in which people want to linger, increasing dwell time to encourage commercial, social and cultural gains.

The concept also drove our visual approach. We treated the plinth like album cover art as stories became tracks, dates turned to running time and the top of the stone acted as a track listing. Each narrative was distilled into a series of bronze illustrations: ‘hidden treasures’; which depict moments in history which lead the viewer to find out more.

“They are not just functional but also excellent pieces of public art. I’ve been very pleased to see people stopping and using them regularly.” – Jerry North Chair of Lancaster Business Improvement District

Rotunda Community Campus

Budget: £80,000

Project Team: BCA Landscape

Awards: Landscape Institute 2016, Echo Environment Awards

Created on a piece of semi-derelict brownfield land, this is a new community garden we designed, raised funds for and volunteered to help build. It provides our client with opportunities for training and qualifications for gardeners; improves community links; enables wheelchair-friendly access; incorporates a kitchen garden to link with their cafe; whilst promoting the concept of growing and eating fresh fruit and vegetables.

Soft landscape: New planting includes – over 150 new native trees, over 1,000 Native Hedgerow species, more than 10,000 new Bulbs and woodland understorey plants and over 1,000 perennials and shrubs that are attractive to insects and pollinators.

Hard landscape: Recycled stable tiles and yorkstone were reclaimed from a local salvage yard to create new hard standing areas. Upcycled furniture was made locally.

“The transformation of this fabulous country garden represents the regeneration of the community at large. This garden is a catalyst for the rejuvenation of Kirkdale – we’re breathing new life into the area and providing increased opportunities for young and old alike.” – Maxine Ennis, CEO of Rotunda

Angel Field

Budget: £900,000

Project Team: BCA Landscape

Awards: Civic trust Award 2011, National Roses Design Award 2011, Landscape Institute Award 2011, RIBA Red Rose Project of the Year (Architecture and Landscape), RIBA Landscape Award (Winner)

Stories give form to the transience of existence. We express ourselves by telling stories in the form of dance, films and plays and verbally in song and conversation. The story is given form in the landscape as a walk through time referencing ecology and culture, Liverpool as a City and the story of Western Civilisation as a whole.

The journey through Angel Field begins with a reflective pool set within a copse of native trees – a symbolic wilderness representing the origins of life. Next, an apple orchard set amongst a wildflower meadow produces fruit and nectar to nourish the body. Topiary forms and yew hedges define a performance space where flowers put on a colourful show in beds formed by interlocking Fibonacci spirals; this is the garden of the mind.

Finally, between St. Francis Xavier church and the Cornerstone building, Angel Field [originally the name of a farm on the same site] has it’s own angel sculpture. The specially commissioned artwork forms a focal point at the end of an avenue of trees, inviting people to look up. This final space is dedicated to the spirit.

“The Creative Campus has been completed by this outstanding public space which links a series of otherwise disparate buildings across a serene and playful garden. It has been realised by an imaginative designer determined to deliver on the vision. Built to an exceptional standard of finish, it is a soft and welcome delight in an otherwise harsh urban setting. A place you will want to return to again and again.”

The Fairytale of Burscough Bridge

Budget: £1 Million

Project Team: BCA Landscape & Smiling Wolf

Awards: Landscape Institute Award 2008, RTPI Award 2008, West Lancashire Design Award 2009

A complete renewal of the public realm through this busy village, which sits astride the A59 between the Leeds to Liverpool canal and Southport to Wigan railway.

The Fairytale of Burscough Bridge celebrates modern creative life beyond the city; presenting the successful realisation of a contemporary design project within a rural context. It is a bold and adventurous scheme that enriches the sense of identity in the Lancashire village.

The scheme involved the creation of a series of new small interlinked squares and pedestrian routes (previously full of parked cars and clutter) – animated with bespoke furniture, paving, artworks, lighting, signage and a village clock. A collective notion of identity is a notoriously complex idea to pin down. Ultimately it is the little things that have meaning and these woven together form a greater picture.

“BCA Landscape is without doubt one of the most exciting landscape practices in Britain today… their designs work as allusive artworks with many shades of meaning, a reflection of the cultural complexity of a human settlement as old as Burscough Bridge.” – Tim Richardson – writer and landscape critic