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Left - Meet the new neigh-bours Right - The 30m tall stainless steel sculptures are guaranteed for 130 years
RISING FROM A FLAT EXPANSE OF PARKLAND IN FALKIRK STAND TWO ENIGMATIC FOLLIES, THE TALLEST EQUINE STATUES IN THE WORLD. CONCEIVED EIGHT YEARS AGO BY SCOTTISH CANALS THE KELPIES WERE BUILT IN JUST 90 DAYS BUT THEIR IMPACT SHOULD LAST CONSIDERABLY LONGER. HERE URBAN REALM SPEAKS TO THOSE BEHIND THESE BIG BEASTS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. Already hard at work on his latest work back at his Maryhill studio sculptor Andy Scott is showing no signs of slowing down spoke to Urban Realm about the project which has consumed almost ten years of his life: “I see them differently from everyone else on the planet; I’m just pleased it’s been so well received by others. I was too enmeshed in it; I need a bit of closure and time away!” There’s a 130 year guarantee on the sculptures, manufactured by SH Structures and Atkins, with the engineering being the real sgar of the show as Scott attests: “If you know anything about structural steelwork once you get inside and see that welding work and the way they’ve put them together, it’s astonishing.” The formal visitor experience is limited to guided tours for the moment as the client was wary, in the short term at least, of undermine the power of the sculptures but a Nicoll Russell Studios designed visitor centre is cheduled to open by spring 2015. Andy Baxter, practice partner in charge of this project, observed: “We always treated Andy’s sculpture with the greatest respect. It’s a relatively modest building and we did a lot to minimise its visual impact and orient it in such a way that the raison d’etre remains the Kelpies. Andy’s sculptures are exceptionally high quality and I don’t just mean the concept.
It’s the quality of materials and also the technical expertise required to scale them up from a 4ft high maquette to a pair of 26m high heads.” Baxter is particularly effusive of the horses innards, observing: “It’s not the Eifell Tower, but in terms of visual excitement it’s pretty special. The fact that it’s perforated and the light comes through it, it looks different at all times of day. Every one of those panels is unique and twisted in so many different directions. They’re approaching what they might do with the interiors very respectfully. A lot of visitor centres have been built in Scotland recently, many on fantastic budgets so you’ve got a lot of competition if you want to stand out from the crowd.” Dominant though they are the Kelpies are by no means the only built intervention in the sprawling 350ha park, which contains a slew of disparate visitor facilities scattered about, each designed to cater for different groups of visitors and avoid creating a drive-through attraction in a drive-through park. For example Oliver Chapman Architects have designed visitor facilities for the boating community which are due to open in July. Situated on the northern edge of the Forth & Clyde canal the scheme adopted an off-site manufactured solution already under development by Scottish Canals in order to meet a tight >
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Top - Keppie’s visitor centre is defined by bold geometric forms Middle - Decked walkways snake across the landscape Bottom - Oliver Chapman Architects were constrained by the width of this articulated lorry
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five month programme. Project architect Michael Collins told Urban Realm: “They’re beside the Kelpies structure themselves and that was the starting point for our project. Scottish Canals wanted to provide a café, shop and information point so we decided to use prefabricated pods as a way to accelerate the program and get them on site quickly.” Building off-site isn’t without its challenges however, as the need to transport components by road placed constraints on the size of the modular units. Nevertheless the simplicity of the cubic form ensured that slight adjustments to the form of the roof was all that was needed to create fine variations and an irregular edge along the canal. Commenting on the angularity Oliver Chapman added: “A 30m high metal sculpture of two horses heads is going to be the centre of attention no matter what you do architecturally but, by pure coincidence, we’ve been playing around with roof forms for a few years now from the Highland Housing fair to our Caledonian Canal camping pods and most recently the Skerrie House extension in Anstruther – all had diagonal roof forms.“ Collins added: “We wanted each unit to read as a separate piece. To join them together we placed them in a line and brought glass structures between them. As they’re in a row we’ve created a rhythm along the elevation by having the roof pop up and down.” Chapman continued: “We used a burnt larch timber so we
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The Kelpies were born amodst a bombastic display of sound and light
could control the way it weathers. In a natural larch you’ll find it loses colour on the roof and western side a lot more than on the other walls. We didn’t want to apply a paint coating so we worked with the contractor to develop a production line system of charring the wood, like a hotel toaster!” Collins added: “The tricky thing when you char timber is the residue which comes off it. We worked hard to power wash it.” Outlining the rationale behind the use of larch Chapman enthused: “It’s really suited to a project where you’re interested in the silhouette of the form. It’s appropriate when the building is in a landscape setting.” Collins agreed: “We worked closely with Ironside Farrar to integrate these pods with the public realm works using a new decked area and canopy to sit and have a cup of coffee and an ice cream.” At the helm of a very similar scheme at the other end of the park was Alan Seddon, associate at Keppie Design, who became involved in the project by accident: “It was a complete fluke,”Seddon observed: “The contract was being let for the Helix Park itself and we had been asked to look at a café by Balfour Beattie. The original landscape proposal had a couple of small prefabricated buildings and Balfour asked for our architectural input. We joined a toilet block and a café block together to create some shelter. The site is incredibly windy so there’s no way if you wanted a cup of coffee you would just go to a window and stand outside. Balfour Beatty didn’t win the
job in the end but Falkirk Community Trust liked our proposal and commissioned us directly. “We configured the building as a lump of Elm which we cut into planes to represent the three axes we were trying to represent; the approach, the route to the outdoor performance space and a gable onto the lagoon to look like a little boat shed carved out of wood. Because this was a four sided shape with a three-sided roof the geometry became quite complex, we were working with Create Engineers and decided that a traditional timber frame construction was going to be quite difficult and we didn’t want to use a steel frame so cross laminated timber was the only way we could maintain the strength of the roof without compromising the performance.” This had the added benefit of speed with the superstructure being erected in days before being wrapped in an EPM membrane and covered in Russwood’s Scotlarch, matching Ironside Farrar’s specification of larch GripDeck, also by Russwood. The Kelpies are already drawing hordes of visitors and as that soft launch continues the park can only encourage more people to visit the area. As Chapman observed: “ I can’t understand why Falkirk isn’t the focus for more investment given the pressure on the edge of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Falkirk is really close to both cities yet isn’t experiencing that demand for expansion.” Perhaps now it will.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
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THE KELPIES MAY HAVE STOLEN THE LIMELIGHT AT HELIX PARK BUT IT IS IN THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE THAT SOME OF THE BEST WORK CAN BE FOUND. WITH THE FIRST SEEDS OF RECOVERY NOW EVIDENT IN THE WIDER ECONOMY WE SPEAK TO SIX LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PRACTICES FOR A DOWN TO EARTH LOOK AT HALF A DOZEN PROJECTS WHICH SHOW THE FIRST GREEN SHOOTS ON THE GROUND.
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Q&A Richard East, director, City Design Co-operative Ltd What role can landscape architects play in fostering biodiversity? As a core principle, maintaining and enhancing biodiversity at all levels is something we should all be pursuing with vigour. It means careful selection of materials and understanding the appropriateness and relationship between materials as they mature. Development pressures, particularly in rural landscapes frequently challenge the good biodiversity practice. Forestry plantations, intensive agriculture, land drainage schemes and upland wind farms all need to be considered in terms of the wider impacts they create. What impact will the independence vote have? If independence is realised there will be a bit of reorganisation to consider within the august professional bodies. But that’s just bureaucracy… the most tedious of human constructs and always resolvable. As a nation that values its landscapes (relatively speaking), and which has generated some of the most exciting practices in the UK over the last few years. Scotland is becoming a centre of excellence for the profession. Have you observed any noticeable uptake in fees and work? Yes. There has been a gradual improvement over the last few months. The private sector in particular has improved. We find we are bidding for less and receiving more direct appointments. This substantially reduces the down time spent answering inappropriate PQQs…bureaucrats again! Felicity Steers, director, ERZ Ltd Have architects and engineers now learned the advantages of engaging with landscape architects as integral partners? Some people are good collaborators and some aren’t, its not related to any profession. We love interdisciplinary working at ERZ – it’s the foundation of our practice, which is landscapeled but includes architects and urban designers. Basically we are delighted to collaborate with anyone who has good ideas and an open, inquiring mind. We currently partner architects, engineers, ecologists, foresters, doctors, artists, community leaders, NGOs, charities, teachers, mental health workers, developers… Are blockbuster projects such as the Helix and the Commonwealth Games helping to raise awareness of what the profession can do? Obviously large projects generate lots of attention: so yes, URBAN REALM SUMMER 2014 URBANREALM.COM
of course. However, it’s often more low key work, often in collaboration with other disciplines, that shapes the future of our profession. Gritty urban projects that solve longstanding problems may actually have far more impact day to day and be more ground breaking. Urban regeneration is often economically focused and can lose sight of people and place. Have you observed any noticeable uptick in fees and work? We are really busy, projects are more interesting and ambitious and it’s looking good at the moment. There is still a fragile quality to the uptick though and projects often stall or falter. There is also a definite lag behind with fees and some people (in all professions) are taking advantage of this fairly cynically. We need to all work together to offer a good service for a fair fee – undercutting fees and going in for work at ridiculously low levels undermines everyone, as does clients knowingly taking on consultants that have under bid or trying to get people to work for nothing. Jon Simmons, partner at Gillespies What role can landscape architects play in fostering biodiversity? Landscape architecture is a synthesis of art, engineering and ecology. As such, designers must be aware and pay cognisance to the opportunities for protection and creation of bio diverse systems. We do this because there is an inherent appreciation of diversity in all of us; recognising that the most sustainable and stable systems are those with the greatest diversity. This is as true for societies as it is for ecosystems. Therefore as we look for opportunity through the design process to improve circumstances; ecological improvement and increasing bio-diversity are essential parts of the design journey. Are ‘blockbuster’ projects such as Helix Park and the Commonwealth Games helping to raise awareness of what the profession can do? The Commonwealth Games will be a fantastic event for Glasgow. The ongoing development and overall strategic planning of the east end through Clyde Gateway will be the legacy. Within the masterplan there are jewels that are emerging such as the Cuningar Loop Park being designed by Gillespies. What impact do you see the independence vote having on landscape architecture? It is difficult to say if Scotland achieves independence whether things will be better or worse; however we must accept they will be different. We pride ourselves on being flexible and
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adaptable, which in recent years has been an essential part of any successful businesses armoury. Have architects and engineers now learned the advantages of engaging with landscape architects as integral partners? I’m not entirely sure it’s as one sided as that. Landscape architects also need to understand what makes engineers and architects tick. The very best projects are the result of professional teams working together with mutual respect for their particular areas of expertise. Increasingly this includes the input from a wide range of stakeholders. Sheena Raeburn, director, Ian White Associates What has been the stand-out landscape architecture work in Scotland of the past year? The NVA redevelopment of St. Peter’s Seminary and the Kilmahew estate has been interesting to follow. The situation of that building, it’s history and the relationship people have developed in its ruinous form will be a challenge to maintain, along with its’ reintegration into a historic estate landscape. Are ‘blockbuster’ projects such as Helix Park and the Commonwealth Games helping to raise awareness of what the profession can do? Landscape architecture still has a long way to go before it gets the recognition enjoyed by other design professions. This is partly because the spaces we create tend also be occupied by buildings, which can steal the limelight! The Helix is well publicised, however focus from the public can be limited to the presence of the Kelpies. Have you observed any noticeable uptick in fees and work this year? The confidence from clients is once again returning, though this doesn’t mean that there’s been a complete recovery. Large scale projects are still scarce and competition is of a high standard. Concern still remains that ambition and budget do not reconcile; recent tenders have come back higher than anticipated, this may be due to the construction industry looking to achieve realistic profit on their work. Kirstin Taylor, director, LDA Design What role can landscape architects play in fostering biodiversity? We have a significant role is fostering biodiversity in existing landscapes whilst also facilitating growth and new development. One of our specific areas of expertise
is in advising clients on avoiding and mitigating ecological constraints at the earliest stages of masterplanning, an issue which is highly topical following publication of DEFRA’s 2013 Green Paper on ‘Biodiversity Offsetting’ and we are following how this plays out in Scotland. What impact do you see the independence vote having on landscape architecture? As Landscape Architects we are intrinsically focused on the synthesis of people and place. Landscape forms the dynamic backdrop to our lives and is part of the shared memories and feelings which bind people together as ‘belonging’ to a nation. One thing the referendum debate has therefore done is highlight the fantastic natural resources Scotland has and as such, further emphasise the importance of conserving our native landscapes which can only be a good thing. Have architects and engineers now learned the advantages of engaging with landscape architects as integral partners? Architectural consultants are often considered rigidly as the design lead for masterplanning projects, influenced by procurement rules. The industry would benefit from putting aside perceptions (and egos) to remove such barriers and allow teams to work more collaboratively. Chris Rankin, partner, rankinfraser landscape architecture What role can landscape architects play in fostering biodiversity? I think our most important role is not losing sight of the fact that landscapes are designed for people and that humans are a key part of a diverse landscape. The fixation of BREEAM in achieving credits for biodiversity forces many projects down a route where numbers of species takes precedence over other spatial, aesthetic and programmatic considerations. What has been the stand-out landscape architecture work in Scotland of the past year? For us, in our office, it has been the completion of the garden for the Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre in Lanarkshire where we designed an enclosed woodland garden within a historic belt of trees on the edge of the Monklands Hospital site. Have you observed any noticeable uptick in fees and work? Since we started in 2008, at the beginning of the recession, we have grown year on year. In that sense this year feels no different, we continue to pick up interesting projects and to work with interesting clients and other designers.
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Top - A rural theme has been employed for this play park Bottom - Paddock Park references the area’s historic association with horses
Dick’s Hill, Stranraer Now nearing completion this extensive housing project for the Dumfries and Galloway Housing Partnership has been long and complex in its delivery. Working alongside Collective Architecture, City Design Co-op developed a rural theme for the development of the public realm and after extensive community engagement produced three new public parks. Paddock Park references the areas historic association with horses. The park uses extensive ground modelling to form a safe unfenced play space, and it includes numerous features designed to stimulate a wide range of activity. Pasture park is a smaller area. Designed with Belted Galloway cattle in mind it is a colourful play on rural patterns. High quality equipment from Timberplay, a tractor and trailer, wobbly sheep and other animals accentuate the rural theme.
City Design Co-operative, 4 North Court, Glasgow G1 2DP Tel 0141 204 3466 Email: mail@citydesign.coop Web: www.citydesign.coop
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‘Unpacking the Museum into the Landscape’ – The David Livingstone Centre: from master plan to reality Erz have been working with the David Livingstone Trust since 2010, initially developing a landscape masterplan for their extensive and beautiful grounds along the river Clyde in Blantyre. The masterplan helped to secure significant funding from the Central Scotland Green Network for ongoing works. Phase one detailed design explored signage and path works and the development of the proposed trail through the woods to Blantyre Priory. A natural play area has been created beside the Clyde as a new place for physical and imaginative play. The path and signage works are currently being implemented by South Lanarkshire Council’s innovative Modern Apprentices. They are learning new carpentry skills with Alan Kain, artist and maker. The paths are hand dug and carefully sited in response to the site’s ecological and historical importance. The new laser cut corten steel gates and signage, designed by erz, have been fabricated by Scott Associates. The gates and signage incorporate graphics and text from the museum collection and encourage people to find out more. We’d like to thank all our collaborators, as the project continues to be a real team effort: the David Livingstone Trust, The National Trust, the Forestry Commission, South Lanarkshire Council, The Modern Apprentices, Armour Construction Consultants, Scott Associates, UPM Tilhill, Winning Leishman in Edinburgh and Alan Kain artist.
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Top - subtle interventions ‘unpacking the museum’ into the landscape; signage graphics inspired by museum aretefacts Middle - corten steel gates featuring David Livingstone’s handwriting. Bottom - light touch; guiding visitors through the existing landscape
ERZ, 21 James Morrison Street, Glasgow, G1 5PE Tel/Fax: 0141 552 0888 Email: info@erzstudio.co.uk Web: www.erzstudio.co.uk
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Whitesands flood protection scheme, Dumfries Following the success of the Whitesands charrette and regeneration masterplan designed by Gillespies, the firm was also appointed to take forward the Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme as a priority project. Gillespies is working with a team of Dumfries and Galloway Council officers and technical experts to develop a scheme design that will be consented under the Flood Protection (Scotland) Act and promoted to the Scottish Government for funding. Although the level of protection normally expected in flood protection schemes is 1 in 200 years, this scenario would cause a physical intervention that would create an unacceptable level of visual severance between the town and the river and significantly damage the amenity and the contribution that the environmental asset of the river makes to the town. Therefore, the Council is working with the Scottish Government to promote a 1 in 25 year protection level which would allow the amenity and integrity of the Whitesands to be maintained whilst creating an attractive and green riverside environment. Following the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the regeneration masterplan, Gillespies is working towards the Environmental Impact Assessment of the scheme. Gillespies’ particular focus is to undertake a Townscape and Visual Impact Assessment (TVIA) of the scheme on the adjacent Conservation Area, Scheduled Ancient Monument and numerous listed buildings.
Top - The scheme will enhance the setting of the town’s conservation area Middle -The work will turn the river into an asset for the town Bottom - Not just a barrier - the defences create a linear riverfront park
Gillespies, 21 Carlton Court, Glasgow, G5 9JP Tel: +44 (0)141 420 8200 Email: admin.glasgow@gillespies.co.uk Web: www.gillespies.co.uk
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Left - Monuments have been painstakingly restored Top right - A new visitor centre sits in the landscape Bottom right - The battlefield has been reborn
The Battle of Bannockburn, Stirling Since the moment in 1314 that King Robert the Bruce planted his standard, Bannockburn has played a great part in the history and psychology of the nation. In the Victorian era, the iron flagstaff was erected; in the 1960’s, the equestrian statue, rotunda and visitor centre were built. In 2010 they were failing. The 1960’s visitor centre blocked the sight line from Glasgow Road to the flagstaff. Inappropriate planting was crowding the oak avenue, and trivial planting and landscape arrangements at the road side did little to attract visitors to the site. The dignity of the monument to the Battle of Bannockburn had been compromised. An initial move to reconnect the view from the road to the flagstaff gave the site visibility. Removing distractions from the front of the site creates space at the roadside, something that is unusual on the crowded Glasgow Road. Stone, steel and bronze formed the basis of the materials palette – all were present on site at the outset. Granite and bronze formed the plinth of the equestrian statue. Steel, for the
flagstaff and a hint at the archaeology beneath the surface discarded weapons and amour, the remnants of the battle. A new visitor centre sits quietly off the line of the avenue leading towards the hill top monuments; the car park at the front of the building, lowered and concealed behind the feature boundary wall, gives a clear process of arrival.. Granite cube paving at the entrance and exit of the visitor centre provides space for visiting parties to mingle and reflect whilst catching glimpses of the monuments. The approach to the hill top starts with an interpretation wall, made from Cor-Ten steel and milled with key dates and events. The A-listed monuments were repaired, with granite cube paving in the rotunda unifying the individual monuments by providing consistent surfacing and clear routes. The approach to the equestrian statue was re-graded to arrive at the level of the plinth. Existing granite setts were relaid to the original bond. The statue was cleaned and re-waxed. The focus of the project has been to restore the dignity and presence to the monuments of Bannockburn.
Ian White Asociates, 3A Forrest Road, Stirling, FK8 1UH Tel: 01786 446446 Web: www.iwastirling.co.uk
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Top - Moscow is seeking to revitalise its parks Middle - Borisovsky Park seeks to exploit its lakeside position Bottom - The park caters for all seasons
Moscow Parks Regeneration LDA Design has been at the forefront of the Moscow government’s substantial commitment to enhancing the populations quality of life by raising the standards of Moscow’s urban environment and particularly parks, which have declined through lack of investment over a number of decades. In 2012 the practice won an international competition to deliver a regeneration strategy for the world famous Gorky Park, Russia’s most important public park. The proposed rejuvenation established a manifesto for change, elevating Gorky Park to the global status of Central Park, New York and Hyde Park, London. Subsequently the practice was commissioned to develop regeneration concepts for another 9 parks desperately needing improvement to transform their suburban neighbourhoods. Proposals all started from an understanding of context and applied the principles of good park design developed by our specialist parks team over many years including: accessibility, arrival, circulation, spatial arrangement which relates logically to function as well as an exciting programme of activity and opportunity. The concepts also responded to the local character and distinctiveness, the extremes of seasonal climate, as well as capturing an aesthetic objective of the client and the qualities of place that will bring major benefits to their communities.
LDA Design Consulting LLP Tel: +44 (0)141 222 9780 Email: kirstin.taylor@lda-design.co.uk Web: www.lda-design.co.uk
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Top - The school entrance forms a new civic space for Cowes Bottom Left - A series of courtyards extend the learning spaces outside Bottom Right- The green roof was seeded with locally sourced wildflowers
Cowes Enterprise College, Cowes, Isle of Wight Landscape Design 2010 – 2013 The new high school is situated in the designed landscape of Northwood Park. The careful siting of the building and retention of several existing mature trees from the early 19th century was an important component of the landscape design. Other key elements of the landscape of the school include: a bespoke water feature designed to complement the school
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building; an accessible extensive bio-diverse roof which was created with wild flower seed collected from meadows across the island; a small orchard reflecting the rich apple growing culture on the island and an ecologically rich SUDS area which extends the teaching and learning experience into the landscape. The paving in the entrance space was inspired by a drawing by Brazilian artist Iran do Espirito Santo.
rankinfraser landscape architecture, 6 Darnaway Street, Edinburgh EH3 6BG Tel: + 44 (0)131 226 7071 Web: www.rankinfraser.com