Interview

Moving ‘Heaven and Earth’ to make a difference Darren Taylor talks to award winning garden designer Gavin McWilliam MBALI MSGD

Gold-winning and Best in Show Beyond Heaven and Earth garden at the 2021 Shenzhen Garden Festival

Lofty Madagascar Almond trees combine with a series of tall poles draw the eye skywards The garden explored connections between space and form

Design of Between Heaven and Earth

Accredited Designer Gavin McWilliam MBALI MSGD talks exclusively with Landscape News Editor Darren Taylor about his recent trip to Shenzhen, the importance of connecting elements in your design and advice for future garden designers looking for inspiration.

DT - Your recent Gold-winning and Best in Show ‘Beyond Heaven and Earth’ garden at the 2021 Shenzhen Garden Festival was a true work of art, congratulations. Talk to me about the complexities and challenges of designing and building something of this scale during a pandemic?

GM - We won the design competition in late 2019 pre-covid and the first phase of design work was well underway when the pandemic hit. The 2020 show was cancelled, and everything was put on hold. In late September we received a call to say the show was going ahead in March 2021, so we picked up where we left off. Originally, we were meant to fly out so we could be present during the build, naturally this was unfeasible, so all site queries and design development had to be done remotely. We had to see everything through their eyes, and so communication was key. With a normal show garden, we would select all the materials and planting in person and be present throughout the build. This time however, we relied on the team to show us everything remotely, and we selected trees, plants and materials via videos and commented on prototype testing over WeChat and email. The team were very indulgent of our requests and we received many videos of poles being waggled in the streets of Shenzhen, different lighting and misting options, trial water features and numerous quarry and nursery visits.

DT - Elements were a large part of the garden’s theme, is this symbolic of the work you do on other schemes or was it unique to this project?

GM - Elements feature throughout our work, however in this instance we were using them in a quite literal sense to represent Shenzhen. The garden explored connections between space and form, and the blurred boundaries between woodland and water, land, and sky. Everyday elements of landscape were combined to create a composition of textural planting, reflective water, light and shadow, representing the unique character of the city of Shenzhen, and exploring the relationships between man, nature, city and technology.

The significant water element takes its cue from the Pearl River Delta, and Shenzhen’s dense network of canals and waterways. The water channels reflect light and colour from the surrounding landscape but merge into dense woodland and relaxed woodland edge planting.

Gavin McWilliam MBALI MSGD

These grounded, earthly elements are combined with vertical elements which lend height and drama to the space. Lofty Madagascar Almond trees combine with a series of tall poles, some as high as 10 metres, which gently sway and draw the eye skywards. The poles are topped with small LED lights, referring to the technical ambition and aspiration of Shenzhen and illuminating the space to be enjoyed after dark. Misting sprays further animate the space, creating atmosphere and subtle visual filters which conjure the sub-tropical climate of the region.

DT - What attracted the host region, Shenzhen, to you and your design, when there was a lot of local competition from Chinese studios?

GM - I didn’t actually realise it was a competitive pitch until I got off the plane in China! We were up against two other international practices and two from China. I think it was the confident simplicity of the design that convinced the panel. We also presented hand rendered visuals which I feel are more poetic than highly polished CGI images, they invite the viewer to engage with the design and imagine the space.

The significant water element takes its cue from the Pearl River Delta, and Shenzhen’s dense network of canals and waterways Gavin and team selected trees and plants remotely via video due to the pandemic

DT - With over 40 industry awards, both nationally and internationally, including Gold at RHS Chelsea Flower Show, what’s next?

GM - As with all our work these have been collaborative wins so it’s really what’s next for the studio. As a practice we would like to do more environmentally important work. We have recently been working on a paragraph 79 project which calls for exceptional ambition and innovation in the design and landscape. It’s been hugely rewarding working with the architects and engineers with the ambition to design a holistically sustainable house and landscape in delivery and operation, the net result being a carbon neutral development. We have also just completed a scheme in Portugal with fantastic clients who gave us the freedom to create something unique and contemporary with a strong local context. They commissioned a very modern villa situated in an area which suffers from water shortages yet is dominated by villas with pristine lawns which need a lot of irrigation. We wanted to avoid the artifice of a lawn in the wrong place, and instead used the opportunity to explore the potential of the Portuguese landscape, with a gravel garden and Mediterranean planting. Rather than specifying the ubiquitous palms and olive trees, we’ve reintroduced a cork oak plantation linking the garden to the wider landscape. It’s been a hugely rewarding project with a very engaged client who believed in our vision and trusted us to deliver it. So, we would like lots more of those please!

DT - As a long-standing Accredited Designer member of the Association, do you have any words of advice for upcoming garden designers and landscape architects starting their careers?

GM - Network as much as possible, speak to contractors, suppliers and established designers. I would also attend seminars and shows. The majority of people are very happy to share their experience and knowledge. Visit as many gardens and landscapes as well as enjoying them, looking at them analytically and asking how you might do things differently. DT - Are there any plans to return to our National Landscape Awards in the near future?

GM - We have a few rather special projects that we think are award worthy so let’s see what the judges say.

DT - What could our Association focus more on to support professional designers in the UK?

GM - You’re in a good position to offer access to a broad range of CPD talks via the members which would help support professional designers.

For more information contact:

mcwilliamstudio.com