news – Page 2 – Roundfield

29/07/2015

Dart Marina Stage 2 Completed

Stage 2 of Dart Marina Hotel and Spa is now virtually complete. Roundfield were responsible for the redesign and implementation of the entrance sequence from the road junction to the front doors of the hotel. As well as providing a strong element of planting throughout, this phase included a yorkstone cobbled drop off area and widened stair case with reconfigured disabled access. With the River Garden maturing nicely, the site has been transformed from a car dominated, wind swept expanse into a green and colourful garden setting befit for the refurbished hotel restaurant and south block. ...

10/10/2014

in news

by Tom Barnsley

planning permission granted for Winterton House, Wendover

Planning permission has been granted for the development of 21 retirement flats in the grounds Winterton House, Wendover. The project involves the conversion of a Listed former rectory and a new building in the grounds. Roundfield devised the site wide strategy for this historic landscape, and have now been appointed to develop the detail design through to site implementation. Proposals include formal private gardens for residents, a communal garden space, sensory planting, a mini orchard, two ponds and raised bed allotment plots. ...

19/11/2013

in news

by Tom Barnsley

spiralfields opening day

The beginning of October saw the coming together of everyone who worked on the Spiralfields project, from the designers (us!) to the builders Chauncey Gardens and the myriad of volunteers -in particular the guys at the nearby Osmani Center who worked tirelessly to complete this wonderful project on time and on budget. The celebration took the from of a party in the garden itself, opened by Lutfur Rahman, the Mayor of Tower Hamlets. We still await the installation of the totem feature, but despite this the scheme is remarkably true to the original vision which is an achievement to be proud of considering the extremely tight budget. A strong ethos of sustainable creativity ran through this project from start to finish, from the reuse of potential waste materials to create landform, to the constant presence of local volunteers who now feel they really have a stake in the future of this...

12/08/2013

in news

by Tom Barnsley

spiralfields shelter construction

Some more progress images from the Spiralfields Project at Spitalfields City Farm. All images below have been kindly provided by artist Samantha Sweeting and are featured on her blog about the farm. ...

04/08/2013

in news

by Tom Barnsley

dart marina planting

Four months on and the planting at the Dart Marina River Garden is beginning to come alive. Go to Dart Marina project page...

26/04/2013

in news

by Tom Barnsley

avery hill campus community food garden – ongoing

Things are beginning to take shape in the community food garden over at the Avery hill campus of the University of Greenwich. The first phase of the forest garden has been planted and the large pond area is being prepared for planting. The raised beds are into a second season and have been tended by staff and students on campus under the guidance of the sustainability team. Very productive they have been too! At the end of last year, we led the construction of the on site polytunnel which is now full of seedlings ready for the coming months. Around the same time we also finalised the detailed planting plans for the forest garden areas. The first phase of planting will begin soon and will include over sixty varieties of tree and shrub species. All of the proposed planting has a use within the forest garden system. The detailed design of the...

11/04/2013

in news

by Tom Barnsley

great fen visitors centre

At the beginning of the year Roundfield were asked by architects Gruff Ltd to collaborate on a joint submission for the Great Fen Visitors Centre design competition. The brief for the competition called for "an exceptional building [together with associated infrastructure and immediate landscape works] that is in tune with the project’s overall ambitions, the qualities of the site, the fenland landscape and to be an exemplar of sustainability both in construction and use." Our work with Gruff produced a submission that was both sensitive to the fen landscape context as well as the need to work within budget constraints to create a focal point for the visitor experience. A microcosm of the wider landscape within an internal courtyard is enclosed by the building on three sides with the open side directing visitors out towards the fen beyond into which they can venture via a series of boardwalks. "The boardwalk takes the...

22/03/2013

in news

by Tom Barnsley

garden is named as it nears completion

The new garden at Dart Marina is all but finished with the exception of a few finishing touches. So far feedback has been extremely positive. The garden looks gratifyingly close to the original vision, and when the planting gets going it cannot fail to impress! Having struggled to find a suitable name for this space that occupies a former expanse of tarmac between the Hotel and the Marina, it was decided that the setting itself provided the answer: Dart Marina River Garden. We'll have some professional pictures to show once the garden has become more established, but here are a few early pics to whet the appetite.. ...

05/03/2013

in community, news

by Tom Barnsley

closest forest garden to brick lane?

Work is continuing apace at Spitalfields City Farm community garden in London, with the construction of the decked walkway made from reused scaffold planks. The walkway and seating area will soon be graced with a roundwood shelter complete with rainwater harvesting that overflows into a swale system. Attention has recently been turned to the forest garden area towards the back of the site. First it has been necessary to break through the layer of concrete that spans the entire site – a legacy left by Transport for London having used this area as an access point to construct the new East London Line. We have been mindful to only break through the concrete where the planting areas are proposed, as this firm base can be put to good use under the paths and seating areas. Despite the challenge of breathing life back into a ravaged post industrial landscape, soon a 15 tonne delivery of...

26/02/2013

in news

by Tom Barnsley

hotel car park begins the transformation into a garden…

The Dart Marina project is well and truly underway, soon to create an enticing green space that will connect the hotel to the River Dart Marina. The terraces and main lawn are already taking shape, with the decked walkway scheduled to follow shortly. The green oak sleeper walls are starting to give a real solidity to the formal structure of the garden, which will be softened when we plant up the terraces with shrubs and perennials selected for their drought tolerance and biodiversity value. The main impact will be provided by three 4 meter high Quercus ilex (holm oak) trees which we look forward to maneuvering into position next week. The contractors are on a tight schedule to build the garden in just five weeks, so watch this space for more images as the garden nears completion. ...