In association with Urban Realm, we have launched a hunt for the top landscape architects at work in the UK today, seeking to recognise those practices which have moved the earth for their clients and the public.

Driven by the realisation that good architecture stretches far beyond where a building hits the ground, Urban Realm have short listed the 26 landscape architects and urban designers who have impressed their editorial team with case study submissions over the last 12 months.

Amongst those recognised are Ian White Associates who have performed sterling work in marrying the new Forth valley Royal Hospital within the historic designed landscape of Larbert House, as well as their work to declutter the forecourt of Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

Other notable contenders include 7N Architects who teamed up with RankinFraser for the psychedelic Garscube Underpass / Phoenix Flowers project (pictured) and Lisa Mackenzie who worked with 7N on the Inverness Campus masterplan.

Voting is now open and will remain so until May 25 with the winner to be announced in a dedicated feature the Summer edition of Urban Realm magazine.

The shortlist so far:
7N
Austin: Smith Lord
Charles Jencks
City Design Cooperative
Dualchas
Envert Studio LLP
ERZ Limited
Gillespies
Graeme Massie
Grontmij
Gross Max
Harrison Stevens
Ian White Associates
Ironside Farrar
Jefferson Sheard Architects
Keppie
Land Use Consultants
Lisa Mackenzie
Mike Hyatt Landscape Architects
OPEN (Optimised Environments)
Paul Hogarth Landscape Architecture & Urban Design
Rankin Fraser
Smith Scott Mullan
TGP
Viridarium
Whitelaw Turkington

Congratulations to all shortlisted and click here to cast your vote! 

Floriade Park is the site for the 2012 World Horticultural Expo in the city of  Venlo, The Netherlands.

10 years in the making, this "theatre of nature" covers 66 hectares and encompasses 5 unique themed worlds separated by wooded areas. Each world has its own decor, programme and activities in which visitors will see, feel and experience nature in a totally different way.

Our street furniture partner Escofet has delivered some amazing contemporary cast stone street furniture pieces for the park, which have been implemented in fantastic and innovative ways to enhance the space.

The Naguisa by Toyo Ito provides a flexible modular seating system which flows across a large open plaza and provides places to rest or gather in groups.

The Sit range, provided in a stunning white acid etched finish, provides a modern soft texture and rounded forms to ensure comfort.

The versatile Twig has also been integrated into the space in a variety of interesting combinations. The design of this unique street furniture element has allowed meeting points to be created in the landscape whilst also forming planted areas, intermeshing the boundary between constructed zones and public spaces.

A truly unique and inspirational outdoor experience, Floriade constantly ensures new and surprising discoveries for visitors. The park is a world of fascination, simultaneously spectacular, relaxing, educational, fun, active and contemplative.

You can download the hi-res image pack here.

Visit the Floriade website (external link)

Sponsored by our partner Escofet, the winning projects all feature unique achievements in landscape and urban design.

We are incredibly proud to have been involved with one of the "Special Mention" projects in the form of Exhibition Road.

Details of the winners and our project can be found below.

Joint Winner:

Preureditve nabrežij in mostovi na Ljubljanici

Ljubljana (Slovenia), 2011

The renovation of the banks of the River Ljubljanica in the section flowing through the old city centre, a collective effort that concentrates resources in a range of specific interventions.

This EX aequo prize winner, is the result of a large-scale collective effort expressed in different specific interventions. It has given relevance to the capacity of the river to structure the city and constitutes an example of how to integrate a river system with changing urban patterns. The result gives a sense of both continuity and yet uniqueness of multiple spaces.

This large work is remarkable for its coherence since it covers the entire riverbank space and includes the interventions of several local architects who have sought to continue Jože Plečnik's legendary project combining bridges and riverbank buildings.

Joint Winner:

Arranjament dels cims del Turó de la Rovira

Barcelona (Spain), 2011

Landscaping and improved accessibility to a lookout where the remains of an anti-aircraft gun emplacement combine with those of a shanty village that was later constructed there.

The Turó de Rovira project in the Carmelo neighbourhood has been awarded an Ex aequo Prize because of its delicate and elegant treatment of a space that has a recent history and hither to marginal position in the city of Barcelona.

Apart from the 360° views afforded from a lookout which is now more accessible, the space has also been recovered for collective memory. It evokes the Civil War while also adding value to the remains of a self-constructed housing settlement without conveying any sense of over-emphasis. Hence, marginal space has been discretely included within the consciousness of the city as a whole.

Special Mention:

Exhibition Road

This work, located in one of London's main cultural districts, has managed to achieve a balance of consensus between traffic and pedestrians, instead of segregating these two essential uses of urban space. This is a premier example of such a deliberately designed, calm "shared space", or shared surface, of a major city road in a large Metropolis.

More information on the winners and finalists can be found here

Download the Winners Document here

With the value of the outdoors for learning, play and health now being widely recognised, it is important that the outdoor spaces we create  for children and young people support learning, play and socialising and facilitates all aspects of their time spent in the landscape.

The way that learning takes place outside can take many forms – from instruction from a teacher to learning through play, from collecting data to be used in the classroom to extended hands-on activities. Learning outside should be an extension of what takes place inside, adding to the range of experiences pupils gain whilst in school. Many of the principles of designing spaces for learning inside can be developed as we move into the outside environment.

Access & Wayfinding

The first key element to supporting learning, play and socialising outside is access both from indoors to outside and also around the site.  Consider not only the staff and pupils of the school itself but also visitors, including parents and the local community who may not be as familiar with the grounds and where things are located. Good signage will help ensure that everyone is directed to where they want to go and people are not left to wander around the grounds, which can become a safeguarding issue for the school.

Also think about paving and other surfacing: should all areas have the same ease of access and what will be most appropriate throughout different areas of the grounds?

The Importance of Socialising

The most important elements outside are the places for pupils and others to come together. This might mean creating spaces to gather a whole class, or even the whole school for assemblies or performances. The aim must be to enable smaller groups to work together or to socialise, providing spaces for watching sport or observing others, or creating spaces that individuals can make their own. 

Developing a range and variety of spaces will enable the grounds to be used to their full potential, and there are a number of questions to ask as you think about the layout of these spaces:

• What number of people are you creating the gathering space for?
• What size are the users? The needs of a primary school will be very different from those of a secondary school, for example.
• What approaches to teaching will be used? Will the main approach be instruction, hands-on learning or discussion-based?
• Is the space just for gathering a class together, is it for giving instruction or plenary sessions, will demonstrations be important, is the teacher the focal point or will this be shared around the group? Do you need to be able to re-order the space to keep the options flexible?
• The layout of your seating needs to facilitate its function. Lines of benches are not conducive to effective teaching and also make it difficult to talk with friends! A layout that curves around, bringing people together may well be a better option.
• What about orientation of the space? Where will the sun be at different times of day and what shading needs to incorporated?
• How about shelter? Many school grounds have areas that are prone to strong breezes so creating shelter around seating can make the difference to a space being used or avoided.

Location & Placemaking

As well as the layout there are other considerations to include;

• Location of spaces to gather – too close to the school and they may disturb indoor classes, if too far away will they get used?  Seating should also be located near to features that are to be used for teaching and learning to make their use easy for teachers and pupils alike.
• Specialist areas may require specialist features. For example a performance space will benefit from a power source, outdoor speakers, provision for a backdrop of some kind, and lighting. Seating may benefit from being raked and you may be able to use the existing topography of the site to facilitate this.
• What type of surfacing and finishes to seating do you want? This is likely to be determined by use and by maintenance requirements. It is important that any new features in a school do not add significantly to their maintenance needs, whilst also retaining a high quality of finish.
• What type of atmosphere are you wishing to create? As with the layout of spaces a variety of different formats of space is ideal – from structured spaces to informal natural areas and features. This will help you determine the materials you use as well as the format of a space - rocks are great for getting up high to sit and talk with friends, whilst seating with somewhere to lean on might be better for working outside.

User-Centricity through Consultation

The best way to determine the design of spaces outside is to work with those who are going to use them. Discuss with teachers what and how they want to be able to teach outside, how they will make use of spaces outdoors and the way they want to gather groups together.

Ask the pupils what they want to be able to do when they come together – do they just want to be able to talk, would they like to have a good view of a particular area or feature and what feeling do their want their space to have – do they like the ideas of a cafe-style space or somewhere more like a beach, an urban setting or something more natural?

Finally, try to ensure that every school has a solution that is right for them.  Always find out what the school community wants to be able to do in its grounds rather than what it wants to have.  As a result you will be able to provide them with solutions that meet their particular needs, developing ideas that incorporate features to support learning, play and socialising and enabling more children to get the benefit of using the outdoors more.

Mary Jackson

Development and Delivery Advisor

Learning through Landscapes

http://www.ltl.org.uk/

Liquid Stone is a class of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) defined by its exceptionally high strength and durability.

Our partner Escofet is the first company to unite formulation, manufacturing and design to create UHPC street furniture products that address the requirements of the architectural and urban design profession.

See the Liquid Stone products here or contact us to request a material sample.

What is Liquid Stone? 

The material was developed in the 1980s for specialized applications that demanded superior strength and corrosion resistance – marine anchors, piers and seismic structures. Over the last three decades, use of UHPC has expanded to applications requiring its high strength in narrow profiles, such as bridge spans and building façades. In these cases, the material’s strength, wear resistance, lighter weight and lower life cycle costs have been the driving determinantes.

Liquid Stone is a new Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) with unlimited potential in the architecture, landscape and product design industries. Liquid Stone’s unique formula and manufacturing process has been developed with Escofet's research partners at the iMat-Construction Technologic Center and the University of Catalonia.  The process and formula yields a UHPC with superior strength, durability and colour saturation that can be cast in a wide variety of shapes and patterns

The Material

Liquid Stone is distinguished by its high matrix density. In partnership with UHPC specialists at the University of Catalonia, Escofet have developed a formulation optimizing the particle size of each material to ensure a densely packed concrete matrix. The tight packing of particles creates stronger chemical bonds and lower water absorption, which yields extremely high compressive, tensile and flexural strength. The resulting material exhibits a beautiful surface with integral pigment that stands up to water, salt and corrosive environmental contaminants.

Exceptional Performance & Sustainability Credentials

Incredible Durability

The colour of Liquid Stone is integrated throughout the material. By adding pigment to the mix, Liquid Stone’s colour is consistent throughout, unlike many other materials that are colour-coated. A wide range of colours and hues can be achieved and offer rich saturation and colour fastness. The Escofet pigments have been tested and selected as a result of their UV performance, stability and visual appeal. In addition to the standard colours developed by our designers and engineers, we can create and match a variety of custom colours for increased co-ordination with paving or local stone.

Beautiful Texture

The compact aggregate size of Liquid Stone allows our designers to stretch their creativity further than shape and form.

By introducing patterned moulds into the manufacturing process, unique shapes can be scuplted into each piee of furniture, as shown above.

Easy Restoration & Cleaning

A life in the public realm can be tough for street furniture. From vandalism to graffiti, Liquid Stone exceeds other materials as it is simple to restore and the smooth non-porous surface ensures graffiti  is not absorbed and is quickly removed by  pressure washer alone without the need for harmful cleaning solutions.

UHPC Technical Properties

Concrete consistency fluid / liquid, with a minimum cement content 700kg/m3 with organic fibres, inorganic or metal and siliceous aggregates smaller than 1mm.

COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH                

• UHPC 90-150 MPA
• UNE-EN 12390/2001

FLEXION RESISTANCE                                   

• UHPC 16-35 MPA
• UNE-EN 12390/2001

ABSORPTION OF WATER                  

• UHPC 6.50% without the use of repellents
• UNE-EN 1339/2004

RESISTANCE TO FROST                                 

• UHPC 0 Kg/m2 Loss of mass after 28 cycles of freezing / thawing  (with dicing salts)
• UNE-EN 1339/2004

WEAR RESISTANCE OF FRICTION     

• 18.3 mm UHPC (Average width of the track)  
• UNE-EN 1339/2004

IMPACT RESISTANCE                         

• UNE-EN 127748-1/2006

See the Liquid Stone products here or contact us to request a material sample.

As an exemplar project in both innovation and architectural application, this project showcase from our LED partner LEC gives inspiration for what can be achieved if you engage the right partners.

Woodhouse and LEC can help form and function meet artistic application in difficult installation conditions to characterise your project as with this historic lift bridge.

The Recouvrance lift bridge is one of the longest and highest in Europe and has recently undergone modernisation to welcome a tram line as part of the development of Brest’s transport infrastructure.

LEC collaborated with the Urban Community of Brest to provide a radical redesign of the lighting scheme on the bridge. By lighting the footpath, using LED spotlights integrated into the handrail and illuminating the upper 44m of the four iconic 70m lift towers with artistic colour changing lightbars, the bridge now has a completely different identity at night.

With very strict integration constraints, as well as photometric and aesthetic requirements, the project needed a high quality of lighting for both applications. As such, LEC met the brief by deploying two original product innovations for the first time on this iconic site.

The Handrail - The LEC School

Re-Imagining Urban Bridge Lighting

For lighting the newly created pedestrian area, the local authority needed to integrate functional lighting into the handrail oalongside this space. The LED solution from LEC provides safety, with a very low voltage solution (24 volts,) whilst also reducing power consumption by 5 fold. Furthermore, the lighting complies with all functional and disability standards by achieving an average uniform illumination level of 20 lux.

Continuous, functional and precise light

LED spotlights with elliptical distribution lenses placed every 3.75m provide a smooth and uniform light output without any upward light loss, further enhancing cost-savings.

Discreet and harmonious lighting

The small size of LEDs is a major asset for developing lighting solutions that were previously impossible. The LED lighting integrated into the handrail becomes an applicable, functional alternative to traditional solutions. The LEC product makes the subtle integration both visually discreet and imperceptible to the touch and is suitable for diameters from 42mm to 76mm, both implemented on this project. 

The Trichromatic Towers -The LEC Ligny 

In order to provide a restored, modernised and original bridge, the Urban Community of Brest has chosen a solution offering dynamic lighting and colour, all the way up the outer sides of the lift bridge towers.

The technical innovation suggested by LEC provides a result in line with the aesthetic expectations, coupled with a high luminous efficiency and a perfect integration with the architecture of the bridge.

 Visually & Econmically Powerful

To fulfill the specification with traditional light sources would have been an incredibly difficult task so only an innovatively adapted LED product could deliver the brief both qualitatively and economically. The use of red, green and blue LEDs provides a stunning artistic and flexible effect whilst maintaining high efficiency, unlike coloured filters which dramatically reduce the light output. In addition, a selection of high-performance lenses focus the LED and provide a precise and impactful “painting” of the 44m high bridge towers. This result also comes with a low energy consumption of just 300 watts per pier.

Successful Architectural Integration

The LED source allowed LEC to design high power linear spotlights to continuously illuminate from the base of the tower. The colouring of the Recouvrance bridge towers is provided by diminutive 4.6m long lightbars, their compact design ensuring minimal visual impact of the installation itself.

In addition, the design of LEC product incorporates connections for cable entry without intervention or disruption to the sealed LED housing. This allows the integration of any visible cable to provide a discreet solution.

The view from the client...

Interview with Hubert Le Sech, Street Lighting Manager, The Urban Community of Brest.

How and why did you choose LEC?

During the renovation of the bridge we had decided to implement corbels to achieve a footpath on each side of the bridge, where only thin pavements existed before. At first, lighting this new area with bollards had been psuggested but the fear of vandalism led us to look at alternatives. At this point, LEC proposed a functional application to be integrated directly into the handrail. This innovation seduced us immediately.

This well protected lighting source allowed us to solve the issues of vandalism, whilst LED technology was perfectly relevant given the nature of lighting effect we wanted.

Was the choice of LEDs obvious?

The small size of LEDs when integrated into the handrail was the ideal solution for us. The buildings around the central square of Brest are brought to light by LED technology, so we already know its long term cost benefits. For several years, our community has been engaged in a process to reduce energy consumption in public lighting, so the choice of LED was applied to this project.

What were the difficulties of this project?

The footpath aims to allow the users of the bridge to admire the panorama from both sides; hence we needed a discreet lighting solution as an alternative to traditional columns which are too bulky alongside the lift functionality of the bridge. In addition, continuous illumination was required to standardise and unite the new space. The perfect lighting integration solution was offered by LEC. By putting the source into the handrail, it also maintains the unique architecture of the bridge.

How would you describe your collaboration with LEC?

We can truly recommend their exemplary co-operation. We had many technical challenges with our desired solution and LEC had the expertise to provide an application that met our expectations. Our many meetings with them were creative and practical. The important collaboration between LEC and the installation team for the handrail was also very successful.

Interview with Christophe Cheron, Architect - AOA

What were the particular challenges of this construction site?

The renovation project was driven by the first tramline installed in Brest, but this crucial crossing point was not wide enough to make way for the tram.

The strategic dimension was the major constraint of the project. The lift bridge is at the end of the Arsenal of Brest and is integral to the passage of military ships. The towers are in a military zone and the bridge mechanism simply cannot fail. We had to change the entire central portion without touching the iconic towers, which were in good condition. These towers also serve as light signals in the city.

How and why was the footpath created?

We replaced the “H” section central span, so that the tram could pass between the two towers. The difficulty was that this then created a lack of space for the pedestrian and cycle path. We therefore added an extension to the outside of the uprights to create a more pleasant passageway which also forms a balcony overlooking the sea. This viewing platform is the urban dimension of the project complementing the functional military usage of the bridge.

How did LEC help you illuminate this space?

For the functional light, we wanted elegant and efficient lighting, without visual crowding or light pollution. LEC offered lighting integrated into the handrail which was both powerful and compact. As vandalism is a problem in Brest, it also required manufacturing in a robust material and LEC has met these strict requirements.

Why did you choose LED lighting for the towers?

The Recouvrance Bridge is an emblem; it has always been visible from a long distance in both day and night. The previous neon-based lighting was costly in terms of maintenance and far less visually effective.

During the renovation we wanted to provide robust, functional and innovative lighting. LED lighting became the clear choice for its ease of maintenance, life expectancy, small size and its remarkable power. Furthermore, control of the light via accurate optics was a major benefit in achieving a uniform effect of illumination that ended at the exact top of the tower, to avoid light pollution.

How has LEC added to the requirements of this emblematic work of engineering?

LEC has developed a programmable multi-colour lighting system, that allows the creation of vastly different scenarios. This system lets us produce customised animations for events, such as the “Les Tonnerres Brest” sailing event, which passes under the Recouvrance bridge. The bridge will now be the perfect viewing platform and add something unique to this event.

The Cultural Centre in Lloret de Mar (Girona, Spain) has created a multifaceted development offering a range of public services such as a library, children’s play space, art gallery, senior citizen’s club and an occupational centre.  This impressive and inspirational hub for the local community occupies 8,000m².

The architect Daniel Mòdol approached the interior of the library with a graphic concept inspired by Twig, the modular bench series by our spanish partner Escofet.

This can be seen in the masterplan below:

The formal leitmotiv taken from this piece has inspired a pattern of footprint-like paintings expressed in the concrete flooring.

Throughout the interior, the retro-lit plastic Twig benches have been chosen to convey and continue the poetic narrative into the reading room’s flooring.

Furthermore, the Link, a reinforced cast stone and steel series of benches, and Tramet with its notable thick pinewood feature section, have been installed in other communal areas of the Lloret de Mar Cultural Centre.

The inspirational use of these elements captures the flow and emphasizes the continuity from the exterior realm into the interior public space.

Click here to download the full hi-res image pack (copyright Anna Pericas) 

A true breakthrough in it's patented design and performance, this is an event not to be missed!

We'll be on stand 5 from 10AM-4PM at the Westerwood Hotel.(G68 0EW)

It'd be great to see you there...

The day also includes 3 free professional lighting seminars:

Recent Innovations in lighting -a practical application

Mark Cooper, IEng, MILP, Divisional Director of Highways Technology, Jacobs

Discover how Mark and his team have used new technological developments to provide excellence in lighting. These include the use of a flat beam technology for ME class lighting without columns, LED tunnel lighting and a lighting investment tool that enables budget holders to prioritise spending and develop a sound business case for additional funding. Learn about the planning, implementation and results, and how you apply this to your lighting situation.

Switch-Off –an update on the latest developments

Allan Howard, CEng, FILP, ILP President

Recently there has been a great deal of press coverage regarding switch-off. As the current President of the ILP, Allan is in a unique position to be able to update the audience with regard to the latest situation on this very topical issue.

How Competent are you?

Mark Cooper, IEng, MILP, ILP Vice President - Membership

Don’t fall foul of the CDM regs! The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations place demands on lighting professionals which you cannot afford to ignore. In his role as ILP Vice President- Membership, Mark will explain how you can meet the competency requirements and what action you may need to take.

Register here to see our breakthough product, access the seminars and for a great chance to network with the Woodhouse team.

The 2012 Civic Trust Awards were selected from 306 national and international entries, with 52 projects were recognised by the prestigious CTA panel. Awards were presented to the best new buildings, public spaces, restorations and public art by Civic Trust Awards Patron, architect and TV presenter George Clarke and Civic Trust Awards Managing Director Malcolm Hankey.

We're proud to have supplied products to some of the award winners, including The Hepworth Wakefield by David Chipperfield Architects which was given the 2012 Special Award by the National Panel members as their favourite scheme from this year’s Award winning projects.

Here are the award winning projects we supplied, and the products featured in these schemes:

 Special Award - The Hepworth Wakefield by David Chipperfield Architects

Products Featured:

• Escofet Nigra
• Escofet Socrates

Commendation - Corby Cube, Northamptonshire by Hawkins\Brown

Products Featured:

• Geo Illuminated bollards
• Olivio Lighting Fixtures
• Escofet Ful Columns (Arched in image above)
• Campus Luminaires
• Escofet Pedra Negra Litter Bin
• Escofet Icaria Tree Surrounds
• Geo Seats (Modified to bespoke)
• A selection of LEC products

Commendation - Splash Point,Worthing by craft:pegg

Products Featured:

• Escofet Nigra
• Escofet Lungo Mare

Read more about the awards here

 Download the award brochure here

But as with all leading-edge technologies, choosing a moment to release a static product offering is troublesome, especially in the construction industry where projects can be subject to very lengthy gestation times.

How can we ensure our end-product is as dynamic as the cutting-edge LED manufacturers' output?

The LED Early Adoption Dilemma

Specify an LED for a project today and in six months time that particular specification will have been superseded by another, even more efficient source. This means all those complex calculations on efficiencies and savings can also be rendered useless and the seemingly endless search for the “best” product in a saturated market starts again!

As LED manufacturers are keen to promote their latest and most efficient products, securing a supply of the older variants can be difficult as production has often ceased.

When we look to develop a new LED based luminaire, we are faced with a fundamental quandary. Rush in too early and design a luminaire around an inefficient and quickly obsolete LED, or wait and get left behind in the market.

The First-to-Market Mistakes

Many companies experimented with fitting LEDs into existing luminaires originally designed for discharge lamps, using LEDs for LEDs sake. This is not ideal as LEDs are a fundamentally different type of light source, emitting light only in one hemisphere and requiring heat to be conducted away in the other.

To use LEDs effectively, the whole concept of a luminaire needs to change and our industry is only just starting to address this.

Re-Think the Concept to Meet the Pace of the Market

Development costs are high and careful, considered design is the way forward, not just the selection of LEDs. To create a truly low-maintenance luminaire, the selection of the power supplies and ancillary components is of prime importance.

We also need to consider the question of future upgrading or replacement of LEDs within the luminaire.

Having easily refit-able LED modules is the way forward but do you replace just the LEDs or the whole sealed optic module?  The former is unlikely to be done reliably out on site ensuring perfect resealing of the module. Therefore having a combined LED and optic module that can be easily factory refitted may seem the logical step.

How can we adopt the modular approach?

An industry wide working group, Zhaga, is starting to address the modularity approach and has already laid down standards for some LED modules, mainly based on interior down-lights. It is also looking at flat LED modules for exterior lighting but this work is at an earlier stage.

All these factors lead to the fact that we need some clever and prudent engineering to produce initially affordable LED luminaires that show efficiencies from day one of installation without elongated payback periods when compared to traditional luminaires.

All we can say is - watch this space; this watershed moment may just be around the corner!