Design Portfolio Landscape Architecture Tibor Babic
Tibor Babic
Education Bachelor Degree in Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, University of Ljubljana September 2015 - 2019
Basic information
Work experience
Skills and programmes
Address
Project Manager - Chiswick Old Burial Ground Arboretum
Adobe Photoshop
London, United Kingdom
January 2020 - Present
Lifeguard - Virgin Active Chiswick Riverside
Tibor.babic@gmail.com
December 2019 - July 2021
Phone +0044 7471097736 Nationality
Adobe InDesign Adobe Lightroom
Gardener - Ailand Garden Design March 2021 - June 2021
Music Tutor December 2019 - Present
Microsoft Office Affinity Publisher
British Rhino3D
About me I am a sporty, adventurous person with a love for the natural world, particularly trees and the many shapes, colours, and sizes they can be found in. Since my childhood, I was fascinated with the outdoors and I would often spend my time climbing trees and exploring their unique architecture through play. This interest has stayed with me throughout my life and has has shaped many of my views on how we interact with our environments in urban cities. For my Bachelor degree, I studied Forestry which, although I thoroughly enjoyed, I realised it was not what I was interested in pursuing further. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, I became involved in a volunteer tree planting project with a local charity called Duke’s Meadows Trust. This was my first exposure to landscape design and also to some of the programmes used by landscape architects such as photoshop and Rhino. I decided to teach myself how to use these programmes and through this process I became fascinated with landscape architecture and realised that the combination of design and the natural world was what truly interested me. The project is currently underway and has brought together organisations such as Hounslow Council, Kew Gardens and St. Nicholas Church. My specialist field of interest is in outdoor recreational spaces that incorporate natural elements for play and creativity. Playgrounds are of particular interest for me as I believe modern day playgrounds fall short in providing stimulating playing environments for young people. I passionately believe that young children should be surrounded by the organic shapes found in nature and that playgrounds should reflect this as much as possible. My ambitions for the future would be to work for a landscape architecture studio, whilst continuing to work for my community through volunteer projects and community initiatives. My dream would be to design an adventure climbing playground which incorporates trees and wood elements to create a setting rich for story-telling and motor development for young children and young adults alike. I greatly look forward to developing my sense of design and to learning all of the different processes and programmes involved in creating and realising ideas from the ground up. Being surrounded with fellow landscape architects and students from different backgrounds will broaden my horizons and expose me to different perspectives and ways of working.
“It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.” - David Attenborough
CHISWICK OLD BURIAL GROUND ARBORETUM A VOLUNTEER LED ECOLOGICAL REJUVENATION PROJECT FOR A BURIAL GROUND IN CHISWICK Organisations involved: Dukes Meadows Trust Old Chiswick Protection Society St. Nicholas Parish Church Hounslow Council Greenspace360
Location: London, Chiswick Size: 7 Acres Project type: Volunteer project Summary | The Chiswick Old Burial Ground Arboretum is a volunteer-led project which aims to enhance the ecological, cultural, and visual significance of and old burial ground in Chiswick through the strategic planting of trees, shrubs and wildflowers across a series of five annual Winter planting campaigns. The project unites four key organisations which operate in and around Chiswick: Dukes Meadows Trust, Old Chiswick Protection Society, and St. Nicholas Church, and Hounslow. 80 trees, both native and non-native, will be planted across the burial ground by volunteers, including native shrubs along key exposed boundaries and wildflowers in open lawn sections. The project will be funded through tree sponsorships and donations towards expenses such as stakes, watering bags and compost.
Burial ground front page
Site location
Site location
Chiswick Old Burial Ground lies along a picturesque stretch of the Thames known as ‘Old Chiswick’. It is a part of the St. Nicholas Churchyard which was extended in 1871 following a brief closure.
Many green spaces exist in the area, from recreational parks, to sports grounds and facilities, and the site has good connectivity to walking paths and the road network.
The site can be accessed via car along the A316, via bus or bicycle. There are good connections from Hammersmith via the 190 bus line, and many cycle and pedestrian routes exist along the Thames which lead to the site.
Site analysis Size: 7 Acres
Path structure The burial ground features a grid-like structure of paths that connect the south-western entrance next to the war memorial to the north-eastern entrance by the church.
Heritage The tombs of various celebrated cultural figures can be found across the burial ground including the tombs of William Hogarth, J.M. Whistler, and Ugo Foscolo.
Grave density Grave density varies across the burial ground making certain sections less suitable for any tree planting. The south west section is currently in use for burials meaning that no planting should take place there.
St. Nicholas Church
WWI Memorial
- 1882
- 1919
Tomb of William Hogarth
Frederick Hitch Memorial
- 1764
- 1913
Tomb of J.M. Whistler
Tom of Ugo Foscolo
- 1903
- 1827
Vegetation and Wildlife The burial ground features a small selection of native and naturalised non-native trees which are sparsely distributed across the site. The last substantial planting campaign took place in the mid 20th century, with a number of trees since having been removed due to old age or disease. Considerable sections of the northern boundary lacks any screening or planting and gives way to intrusive views of the surrounding buildings. The majority of these borders are also hard borders, featuring little to no ground cover planting. Various tree species, such as Ash and Hawthorn, exist as pollarded bushes growing on and between graves.
Tree species Acer pseudoplatanus
Prunus avium
Fauna
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
Betula pendula
Quercus robur
Quercus cerris
Malus sylvestris
Ilex aquilifolium
Taxus baccata
Quercus ilex
Carpinus betulus
Crataegus monogyna
A number of notable fauna species live within and around the site. The burial ground has medium habitat connectivity to surrounding habitats along the thames - Chiswick Eyot, and Chiswick House. The site contains a variety of birds and terrestrial mammals which make good use of the site’s close proximity to the habitat rich Chiswick Park which contains secondary woodland and numerous ancient trees.
Past trees
Exposed borders
Common kingfisher Alcedo atthis Common starling Sturmus vulgaris Common tern Sterna hirundo Eurasian tree sparrow Passer montanus Greylag goose Anser anser Dunnock Prunella modularis Herring gull Larus argentatus House sparrow Passer domesticus Lesser spotted Dendeocopos minor woodpecker Reed bunting Emberiza schoeniclus Ruff Philomachus pugnax Song thrush Turdus philomelos Yellow wagtail Motacilla flava Common frog Rana temporaria Daubenton’s bat Myotis daubentonii Leisler’s bat Nyctalus noctula Serotine bat Eptescius serotinus Soprano pipistrelle Pipistrellus pygmaeus
Inspiration and influences The surrounding area features an abundance of green spaces, the most important of which are Chiswick House and Gardens, and Mortlake Cemetery, both of which heavily inspired the design of the arboretum. The three green spaces are connected by the A316 which runs past Chiswick Old Burial Ground and Chiswick House, across Chiswick Bridge to Mortlake Cemetery.
Riverside gardens
Chiswick Eyot
Oldest wisteria in Britain
Chiswick House and Gardens
Chiswick House
Size : 65 acres
Mortlake and North Sheen Cemetery were key inspirations for the planting scheme at Chiswick Old Burial Ground.
Mortlake and North Sheen Cemetery Size : 62 acres
- 1726 - 1729
0
Created in the early 20th century, the cemeteries feature a diverse range of planting features including grand specimen trees, prominent avenues, flowerbeds, and wildflower meadow sections.
220m
Italian Gardens - 1814
Ionic Temple - 1726
Lebanon Cedars 0
- 1864
The Cedars are a magnificent statement and remain one of the focal points of Chiswick House and Gardens. The arboretum project aims to continue this legacy by planting more Lebanon Cedars.
Foliage shape
Liriodendron tulipifera
Evergreen
The Gardibaldi Cedars were planted in 1864 by Guiseppe Garibaldi, who originally visited Chiswick to pay his respects to a fallen comrade Ugo Foscolo, who is buried at Chiswick Old Burial Ground.
Ginkgo biloba
Cedrus deodara/ atlantica
Sequoiadendron giganteum
Unique bark
Garibaldi cedars
Tree species
Betula papyrifera
Eucalyptus gunnii
Foliage colour
Designed and created between 1726 and 1738 by William Kent and Lord Burlington, the House and Gardens are one of the earliest examples of Neo-Palladian architecture and English Landscape Garden design. The park provides a crucial socio-ecological function in Chiswick and is located directly next to the project site allowing for a green connection to be made between the two.
250m
Acer platanoides ‘Drummondii’
Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’
The planting scheme features a wide variety of both native and non-native specimen trees spaced out across lawn areas, avenues and borders. When viewed from within, the randomised distribution of trees across lawn areas, combined with border planting, creates a dense green backdrop. Prominent avenues accentuate key axial paths and pairs of trees stationed at junctions break the line of sight where paths turn, adding to the intimate and protected atmosphere.
Master plan 80 Trees will be planted across the burial ground over the course of five individual planting campaigns taking place each December. Trees will be funded through direct sponsorship and any additional donations or grants. Trees will vary in size, some being planted at standard size, and others between 1.5 and 2m in height.
Year 4
Year 3
0
Year 2 Year 1
50m
Planting zones The entire burial ground has been divided up into 4 planting zones. Each year, the team of volunteers will take on and plant the trees in the corresponding planting zone. In December 2019, zone 1 was successfully planted, with zone 2 being the current zone for the year 2021.
Zone 1
Zone 2
Zone 3
Zone 4
0
50m
Zone 1
Design idea
Zone 1 lies at the south-western entrance to the burial ground and features the prominent war memorial and circular path. The zone 1 planting was successfully completed in December 2020, with all of the trees being successfully sponsored and planted.
The circular path around the war memorial provides an opportunity for a variety of interesting trees to be planted and viewed at close range. The species selection emphasises unique leaf shapes and striking Autumn colour shades of yellow, orange and red.
Tree species
Front layer of roundabout trees
Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Worplesdon’ Acer davidii ‘Viper’ Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Gold’ Fagus sylcatica ‘Dawyck Purple’ Sorbus commixta ‘Olympic Flame’ Pyrus calleryana Acer griseum Acer rubrum ‘Brandywine’ Acer rubrum ‘Sun valley’ Cercidiphyllum japonicum Nyssa sylvatica Ginkgo biloba Salix babylonica
Autumn colour palette Acer davidii ‘Viper’
Back layer of roundabout trees
Nyssa sylvatica
Acer griseum
Pyrus calleryana
Ginkgo biloba
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Acer rubrum ‘Brandywine’
South-western entrance showing the ginkgo avenue and weeping willow tree. Located at the active part of the burial ground, it is the most frequently visited section of the grounds.
Zone 2
Tree species
Zone 2 lies directly north east of zone 1 and features few trees in the large rectangular grave sections and exposed hard borders. Two long axial pathway runs through the middle of this which where there is an important water tap.
8
7
6
9
2. Fagus sylvatica ‘Tricolor’ 3. Fagus syvlvatica 4. Cedrus deodara 5. Cornus controversa variegata 6. Acer platanoides ‘Drummondii’
5
11 12
3
19
1. Zelkova serrata
20
4
2
22
17 20
10
Several species in this section were also donated to the project by Kew Gardens, and are therefore not represented in the planting plan.
18
13 14
15
7. Acer platanoides ‘Crimson king’ 8. Acer platanoides ‘Princeton gold’ 9. Acer platanoides ‘October glory’
16
10. Cercis canadensis
21
11, 12. Prunus ‘Accolade’ 13, 14, 15, 16. Metasequoia glyptostroboides 17, 18, 19, 20. Amelanchier lamarckii 21, 22. Donated from Kew Gardens
1
Fagus sylvatica
Cedrus deodara
Acer platanoides ‘Crimson King’ Prunus ‘Accolade’
Cornus controversa variegata
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Zone 4 Zone 4 features only four trees which will be planted along with a wildflower meadow. Three Lebanon cedars will be planted around the central path, and one Black tulepo will be planted in the corner of the zone by the winding path. Cedrus libani
Nyssa sylvatica
Tree species 1, 2, 3. Cedrus libani 4. Nyssa sylvatica Location of centrally placed cedar
3 1 2 4
Side view of the main field area
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