How important is good landscaping in creating a central place for all different users of 18 Blackfriars Road to come together?

Good landscaping is critical – the landscaping for the project encourages social interaction by placing emphasis on a central ‘heart’ suitable for daily meeting, special gatherings, and events. It won’t be a design which encourages just passing through. This idea of the ‘shared commons’ is not new, it is quite a medieval concept. What will be special about the Rotunda is its unique green character in a dense urban environment and coming together of podium and ground floor uses.

What makes a high-quality outdoor space?

Diversity. High quality outdoor public spaces should give people choice. That means the ability to sit in the sun or shade in different comfortable microclimates; to engage in shopping or eating or just enjoy people watching; to play, to meet strangers, to discover something new. Designing at the human scale and eye level experience is also really important to help people feel comfortable and make high density development work appropriately in an existing urban fabric.

How will the landscaping at 18 Blackfriars Road enhance biodiversity and improve the building’s sustainability?

The landscaping proposals include over six new types of trees and more than 40 herbaceous shrub and perennial species specifically adapted to their microclimate (sun/shade, wind, elevation) in relation to the building. More than half will have flowers (with bloom times varying at different times throughout the seasons) to support pollinator populations and birds. The proposals also include integration of habitat hedging. The choice for emphasis on plants that change colours and forms throughout the seasons is deliberate to support our connection to and sensitivity to nature. Deciduous planting also lets more light and warmth into the building in the winter months and creates shade in the summer. The planting will be watered with recycled rainwater.

How do you create a successful children’s play space?

A successful children’s play space is one full of children! Not unlike good public spaces, they should provide a diversity of experiences. Our play space design aims to give children the opportunity to move creatively, engage with different natural textures and colours (including plants), get low, or get up high. It should stimulate the imagination and provide space for parents to socialise and supervise comfortably.