The Kymin

Last week we went to survey a new site up in Hereford, near where my colleague Shaun hails from.  The route we chose to take reflected the sunny day – we just had to take the Picturesque route along the Wye Valley, past Chepstow, Tintern and Monmouth, then to Hereford via some local roads known to Shaun.  The Wye valley was a spectacular blaze of autumn colours, bright Limestone cliffs and blue sky.  After bursting out of the gorge at Monmouth, we drove through the Herefordshire countryside, passing colourful orchards, newly ploughed red soil and lush green pastures.

On the way back from Hereford, we stopped for lunch at the Kymin, a famous viewpoint overlooking Monmouth and the Wye Valley.  The Kymin is a summerhouse built in 1794 by the Monmouth Picnic Club, at the height of the Picturesque Movement.  From the valley below, the height of the hill is misleading, for our ears were popping as we drove up the winding lane to the top.  From the Summerhouse, the views over Monmouthshire are spectacular.  The River Wye below is mostly hidden by trees, though in Nelson’s time it must have been more open, as the arrival of his boat was announced with by a salvo from four pounder canons firing from the Round House .   For further information visit:

The National Trust at  http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-thekymin-2

Knowle Park School allotment project

Full planning consent has been granted for a change of use of the land at the rear of the school.  The application allows for the land to become a wildlife area, allotment and play area.  Excellent news.

How landscape design can be used to help dementia care

Reminiscence therapy and dementia care can be greatly improved by well-designed landscapes. With our experience in designing landscapes for the elderly, and in particular dementia and sensory gardens, we are pleased to introduce several new schemes to our website which showcase this expertise.  



Visit our website to find out more about Iffley House in Oxford and Silverlands in Hatch End. 

Visit:  http://www.afla.co.uk/EL/iffley.html and http://www.afla.co.uk/EL/silverlands.html

Coastal site

We have just started work on a beautiful coastal location, overlooking the Bristol Channel at Clevedon, North Somerset.  The private house is at an elevated position, some 50m above sea level.  There are sensational views West to Wales, over a great expanse of water.   Whilst the Channel may not appear as a sheet of blue water, it none the less changes constantly and there is always something to look at.  Whilst we were on site, the tide was right for fishing and there were several boats seemingly in touching distance.  A tanker steamed out on the tide and as the water ebbed, currents and rips became more pronounced.

The site is above a Geological SSSI and the soil in the garden is on Sandstone.  The pines, gorse, rowan and oak trees indicate a heath type habitat with acid soils.  All the trees on and near the site are sculpted by the wind.  Pines and sycamore do well, as do the classic seaside hedges of privet and pittosporum. 

Our scheme will be looking to link with the wider landscape, using ornamental grasses for movement and texture.  Heath plants and coastal flowers will enhance the local distinctiveness.  Within the scheme, there is a sheltered courtyard, where we can have some fun with Chusan Palms and maybe agave.

Design Process Maps

We have launched a series of Design Process flowcharts which show in detail our design approach for a variety of our recent landscape design projects.   To download a pdf copy, and for more information, visit our website:
http://www.afla.co.uk/download.html

Creating Living Roofs (by Shaun Lyons)

On Wednesday I was lucky enough to attend a Seminar on the Creation of living roofs and walls presented by Trudy Begent of City Roofs. I went with an open mind in the hope of learning some of the cutting edge technologies and techniques in Green roof creation.

There are several obvious benefits to integrating living roofs into new developments as well as retrofitting them on existing buildings. A properly installed living roof will significantly increase the life of the roof membrane acting as a brilliant protection against the elements. On the continent there are examples of green roofs which are over half a century old and are still very much intact. Another advantage is the temperature regulation qualities that living roofs and façades bring to buildings. The vegetation provides fantastic insulation in winter and in summer, evapotranspiration has a cooling effect. This can drastically reduce the cost of heating and air conditioning especially in large buildings. A third benefit is the aesthetic value which a living roof can provide. Whether providing open space as an accessible roof garden or simply viewed from other buildings, installing a green roof can increase the value of property and provide a pleasant place to live and work.

As well as the financial benefits a Living roofs have important environmental advantages and can provide significant green space in dense urban surroundings. Green roofs have a large storm water attenuation capacity and can hold between 70% and 90% of rain water which falls upon them. This can have an important impact in reducing the prospect of urban flooding. As well as this living roofs serve to reduce the urban heat island effect and improve air quality. Living roofs also significantly enrich biodiversity by providing habitat for a plethora of birds and insects.

The creation of green roofs involves laying a waterproof membrane on top of the roof felt. This is then topped with a drainage board. City Roofs have developed a product called Aquadyne , made from 100% recycled plastic, this material can hold up to 22.5l/m² of water. The capillary action technology which uses a series of micro and macro pores allows water to be collected during rain and drawn upon in dry periods. A substrate, usually a gravelly soil, covers this drainage board and then vegetation covers that. The vegetation can be laid in a matt, sewn as a seed mix or planted as plugs depending on the desired effect and time scale.

Aquadyne is also used in the creation of living façades and a series of tests by City Roofs have allowed them to be able to grow plants straight out of the product without a substrate at 90°. Using a Halfen Steel frame, blocks of the Aquadyne, which can support species such as coriander as well as grasses and sedums, are organised to give the desired effect. An irrigation system which also provides nutrients can then be controlled digitally.

To find out more try…

www.cityroofs.com/home.html

static.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/sds/docs/living-roofs.pdf

http://www.thegreenroofcentre.co.uk/

Coastal landscape and plants

A couple of weeks ago the Autumn storms arrived early,  the wind howled around our loft studio and the radio brought news of Manx Shearwaters blown onto the beach at Newgale, Pembrokeshire.  Hundreds of birds were rescued and later released back into the wild. 

An incredible event, unseasonal but reminding me of the power and unpredictability of the weather at our coasts, how winds create waves that lash the shore and blow salt spray far inland.  How the wind can prune trees and shrubs, creating stunted, gnarled specimens with branches fleeing the storm.

This year, we’ve been to many parts of our coast, including Lyme Regis, South Hams, Pembrokeshire, Weston-super-Mare and the far North-West of Scotland.  The landscapes and plant communities vary so much from location to location.  Coastal cliffs at Lyme are a mix of clays and shale, with some tops of Greensand.  The field, hedge and woodlands of rural Dorset topple into the sea, with no space for dunes or shingle banks. 

At Gara, the fields end near the cliff edge, the rock is of harder Schizt, more durable, which has allowed distinct plant communities to develop on acid soils.  Heather, foxglove, blackthorn and bracken prevail with fines grass where livestock graze.  Pembrokeshire shares similar plant communities and also similar landforms such as ria or flooded valleys.  

The beach at Weston-super-Mare has been tamed, for the most part, and is a happy destination for many holiday makers.  The main beach is cultivated to remove rubbish in the summer months and you can park on the sand reasonably safely.  If you walk south from the town beach, there are dunes rather than concrete and esplanade, to the back of the beach.  Sea buckthorn and blackthorn cover the dunes along with marram grass. Perennial plants such as evening primrose and thistles grow in the sheltered spots.  It is a much more natural landscape. Behind the dunes lies a golf course, which I have not yet explored.  As the tide goes out, a rocky causeway is exposed, seemingly connected to Brean Down – don’t be tempted to cross unless you want a trip in a helicopter.  The far side of the causeway ends in mud.  If you drive round, Brean Down is well worth a visit, especially on a winter’s evening, with the sun setting over the sea.

The coast of Wester Ross and Sutherland is incredibly remote and varied.  There are white sand beaches with clear water shimmering with lance and sandeels.  There are shallow estuaries stained brown by peaty water.  Dramatic fjords twist the few roads from any chance of a direct route. Sea stacks, caves.  Flotsam thrown up fifty or more metres bear testament to the power of the ocean.  More incredible are boulders thrown similar distances.