RBC Blue Water Garden Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Nigel Dunnett with
The RBC New Wild Garden - Chelsea Flower Show 2011
Nigel Dunnett with
The RBC Blue Water Garden - Chelsea Flower Show 2012
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Introduction The Royal Bank of Canada garden for 2013 is an urban rooftop woodland and wetland garden, integrating recreational space for building occupants, with innovative biodiversity and habitat features. The garden explores the potential of ‘skyrise greening’ to bring multiple benefits to urban dwellers, and marks a return for the design team to the themes, style and approach of their ‘RBC New Wild Garden’ for Chelsea Flower Show 2011. The garden features a central wetland that captures rainwater runoff from the garden pavilion, and which also cleans and filters grey water from the building (water from basins and showers). This water can then be recycled in the building for toilet flushing. Because the level of the water in the wetland will fluctuate according to the weather: filling up after heavy rain, and reducing in dr yer periods, the water in the garden will ebb and flow to a slow rhythm to demonstrate this process. This ‘ beating heart ’ symbolises the central role of water as the life-giving force in the garden. Water is circulated and aerated in the garden ‘ Spring’, a large raised, shallow bowl of water which supports a single bonsai weeping willow. The garden illustrates the importance and value of trees in an era of changing climate – for creating shade and a comfortable microclimate; for soaking up excess stormwater following heavy rainfall; for introducing habitat opportunities for birds and insects. The garden shows how rooftops can be used to create mini urban woodlands in even the highest density areas. The bonsai willow in the Spring is a simple small-scale statement of the link between trees, water and climate. The trees are planted on mounds on the roof. Indeed, the garden has a strong and dramatic topography of hills and valleys. But what appears to be deep soil (and therefore impossibly heavy for a roof) is actually an underlying topographic structure of ver y lightweight polystyrene blocks with a soil layer over the top. The planting is dynamic, textural and naturalistic, fitted to the different ecological conditions on the rooftop, and incorporates some of the latest thinking and techniques related to the design of green roofs for biodiversity. Wildlife and biodiversity are important considerations, and the ‘creature towers’ placed around the garden are sculptural, multi-storey habitat towers, built and designed by the same team responsible for the dramatic habitat walls in 2011’s ‘New Wild Garden’ The garden integrates art and ecology; biodiversity with human recreation. The garden is intended to be used informally by the occupants of the building. The roof is situated on a commercial building and is accessible to workers, but could equally be on an apartment block or private residence. As well as seating and gathering space around the garden pavilion, two circular seating decks are placed with the planting at the wetland ’s edge. As the water in the wetland ebbs and flows, the seating areas will become surrounded by water. An informal path moves through the planted areas, linking the two seating decks, while a main boardwalk takes users over the wetland to the garden pavilion. The pavilion itself will be created by the same team behind the converted shipping container in 2011’s New Wild Garden, and will again feature habitat wall panels, and a sloping green roof. The roof will support shade-tolerant species, and is a green roof on a green roof. It is possible that the garden will be relocated to the roof of Selfridges, London, after the show.
Nigel Dunnett with
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Concept
ROOF GARDEN
ARTISTIC HABITAT STRUCTURES
SPACE FOR SITTING AND MEETING INTERACTIVE FEATURES - SPRING FOOTPUMP
VARIED LANDFORM AND TOPOGRAPHY
RAINWATER COLLECTION AND HARVESTING
RECYCLING GREY WATER AND CLEANING THROUGH A ROOFTOP WETLAND
Nigel Dunnett with
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Plan
Key Trees
Garden Pavilion - Green Roof
01 02
Timer boardwalk
Water/ Wetland
07 08
Cur ved Timber Seating 01
03
Secondar y Paths - reclaimed setts/ steel mesh 05
Roof Garden ‘ balustrade’
04
Features
02
05
01
01
Habitat Towers - Constructed columns
02
Secondar y path network through planting
03
Wetland: shallow water, gravel, stones, planting. Ebb and flow like a heartbeat to the garden
04
Small trees on mounds created with polystyrene build up.
05
Circular seating areas
06 06 04
02
Spring – water source. Large flat shallow raised pool. Perhaps powered by foot pump. Over flows into wetland/stream. Weeping Willow Bonsai
07
Pavilion. Green roof on a green roof. Artistic habitat walls
08
Raised entrance to ‘Roof Garden’
08
0m
5m
Nigel Dunnett with
10m
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Design Concept - Mood Images
Garden ‘Spring ’ Pavilion
Habitat Towers Wetland Boardwalks and pathways
Nigel Dunnett with
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Planting Strategy Preliminar y Plant List: The garden contains four main planting zones. The plant mixes in each zone are suited to the soil and microclimatic conditions in each zone. Irrigation is available for all plantings through the rainwater capture and grey water recycling systems in the garden
• Chr yanthemum segetum hybrids • Dimorphoteca aurantiaca • Atriplex hortensis rubra
Zone 3:
Wetland Marginal. A mass of blue Meconopsis with textural and foliage plants.
Zone 1:
Shade/woodland underplanting. Rich and diverse underplanting, loosely based on the ground flora of woodlands of Eastern North America. • • • • • • •
Aquilegia canadensis Asarum canadense Dodecatheon meadia Mertensia virginica Phlox divaricatus Tiarella ‘ Spring symphony ’ Tiarella wherr yi
Zone 2:
Deschampsia flexuosa Dr yopteris lepidopoda Hosta ‘Tom Schmid ’ Lychnis flos-cuculi Lychnis flos-cuculi ‘Alba’ Mattheucia struthiopteris Meconopsis ‘Lingholm’ Osmunda regalis Primula x bulleysiana Valeriana officinalis
Zone 4:
Aquatics. Dramatic foliage plants emerging from the water.
Sunny edges/green roof planting. colours and grasses. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • •
Plants for free-draining soils in sun.
Allium schoenoprasum Dianthus carthusianorum Er ysimon ‘Bowles Mauve’ Festuca amythestina Geum triflorum Gypsophila repens ‘Rosea’ Helicotrichon semper virens Hordeum jubatum Melica altissima alba Salvia ‘Maynight ’ Sedum rupestre ‘Blue Spruce’ Sedum rupestre ‘Lemon Ball ’ Sesleria nitida Silene armeria ‘Electra’ Silene uniflora Stachys byzantina Verbascum phoenecium ‘ Violetta’ Centaurea cyanus
Nigel Dunnett with
A mosaic of bright
• • • • • •
Cyperus eragrostis Equisetum japonicum Juncus effusus Phragmites variegatus Scirpus cernuus Thalia dealbata
Trees: • • • •
Betula papyrifera Cornus florida Cornus florida ‘ Cherokee Chief ’ Zelkova serrata
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Planting Strategy
Zone 1:
Shade/woodland underplanting
Zone 3:
Wetland Marginal
Zone 2:
Trees Zone 4:
Nigel Dunnett with
Sunny edges/green roof planting
Aquatics
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Sections
B Green roof pavilion
Garden boundar y including living wall sections
A
Sectional Elevation AA’ Wetland
A’
B’
Habitat Towers
Garden ‘ Spring’
Entrance to roof garden Green roof pavilion
Sectional Elevation BB’ Nigel Dunnett with
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
01
Habitat Towers - constructed columns
02
Secondar y path network through planting
03
Wetland: shallow water, gravel, stones, planting. Ebb and flow like a heartbeat to the garden
04
Small trees on mounds created with polystyrene build up.
05
Circular seating areas
06
07
08
04
Spring – water source. Large flat shallow raised pool. Perhaps powered by foot pump. Over flows into wetland/stream. Weeping Willow Bonsai
07
Pavilion. Green roof on a green roof. Artistic habitat walls
04
Raised entrance to ‘Roof Garden’
01
01
02 03
06
05
05
08
Nigel Dunnett with
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
01
Habitat Towers - constructed columns
02
Secondar y path network through planting
04 03
Wetland: shallow water, gravel, stones, planting. Ebb and flow like a heartbeat to the garden
04
Small trees on mounds created with polystyrene build up.
05
Circular seating areas
06
07
08
07 01
Spring – water source. Large flat shallow raised pool. Perhaps powered by foot pump. Over flows into wetland/stream. Weeping Willow Bonsai Pavilion. Green roof on a green roof. Artistic habitat walls Raised entrance to ‘Roof Garden’
04
05
03
01
05
03 06
02
08
Nigel Dunnett with
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013
Ebb and flow, the hear tbeat of the garden
Maximum extent of water
Nigel Dunnett with
Minimum extent of water
RBC Blue Water Garden RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013