Winners celebrate at the National Landscape Awards

The 46th National Landscape Awards, run by the British Association of Landscape Industries, took place in early December, 2022 in London to celebrate the skills, hard work, quality, commitment, and successes of Association members. The awards recognise excellence in landscape design, construction, and maintenance both in the UK and overseas, as well as supplier exceptional service and employer excellence.

Accredited Contractor Maylim took home the prestigious Grand Award, sponsored by Green-tech, and Principal Award in their category for Hard Landscaping Construction (non-domestic) - Over £500K for the redevelopment of the unique Exchange Square, London.

This is the second grand award win for the hard and soft landscaping specialists, who won back in 2017 for One Tower Bridge.

The grand award-winning project, ‘Exchange Square’ sits at the heart of Broadgate, London’s largest pedestrianised neighbourhood. Suspended above the tracks of Liverpool Street Station, the landscape, spanning 5,000m2, unfolds across several levels to create a more natural topography. Exchange Square is a new public park, which has been re-imagined as a rustic landscape with trees, generously planted borders, and green space.

Rather than simply demolish the existing scheme, the contractor chose to ‘deconstruct’ it, dismantling and removing the hard materials, including 300 tonnes of granite and 20 tonnes of boulders, and re-purposing them on other public realm projects. This approach has reduced the environmental impact and financial costs of the new scheme.

This year’s National Landscape Awards’ Judges, led by experienced Chair John Melmoe, jointly commented that, “This scheme is not only an exemplar of public realm landscaping excellence, fully deserving of the grand award, but also a lesson in finding and pursuing alternative solutions to the challenges faced by contractors who are replacing existing hard landscapes.”

The project aimed to transform the ageing, corporate and rectilinear former square into an accessible, natural city park with sweeping curves and a four-fold increase in green space. A bespoke and unique pallet of materials was used across the scheme, quite different to any other public realm in the UK. Over 3,000 individual pieces of CNC cut terrazzo form the sweeping amphitheatre, cascading water feature and raised planters.

From start to finish, placemaking was at the very heart of the project. Throughout the construction period, Maylim's interaction and collaboration with local communities and businesses surrounding Exchange Square extended the positive impacts of the scheme, providing opportunities for rest and relaxation amidst the bustle of city life.

Chair of the Judging Panel John Melmoe concluded: “The repurposing and reusing of existing materials on this project has reduced the environmental impact and financial costs of the new scheme and must surely be a sustainable way forward for future public realm projects.”

Lifetime Achievement

The Association is currently celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and in recognition of the progress the Association has made in this time, the Board of Directors wished to recognise an individual who was instrumental in its founding, with the Associations first ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

Nigel Bowcock, National Chair announced the first Lifetime Achievement Award was being presented to Jeffrey Bernhard OBE. Jeffrey was a founding member of the Association in 1972, and the first National Chair. He, along with the support of others, gave thousands of hours of their own time, alongside their business and personal commitments to establish the Association as a trade body representing the best interests of the whole industry.

63 National Landscape Awards bestowed on 53 members

Awards entries were judged over the summer with 63 National Landscape Awards bestowed on 53 members of the Association in September and 26 principal, three special and the coveted grand award announced live on stage at the prestigious ceremony.

Other notable wins announced at the Awards ceremony came from Accredited Contractor Nurture Landscapes who won four principal awards, for Kings Cross Estate, Winnersh Triangle Business Park, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and 250 Bishopsgate. Bowles & Wyer and Wright Landscapes were both presented with three principal awards, and 2021 Grand Award winners Graduate Gardeners won two principal awards for private gardens in Cheltenham and Painswick.

Best first time entrant, sponsored by Makita UK, was awarded to Ellicar for their Wildlife and Water Garden in Nottinghamshire. Best design and build, sponsored by Springbridge Direct, went to The Garden Company for their work at a new build private residence in West Hill. Phoebe Hay of Landform Consultants was presented with a special award for exemplary horticultural skill, sponsored by CED Stone Group, for their roof garden project, The Garden at 120.

Events Project Manager, Emily Feeney says: “Once again, this year’s National Landscape Awards has highlighted the fantastic work our Association members have achieved. Despite an ever-changing climate, year on year members continue to produce outstanding schemes that showcase the best the industry has to offer. A huge congratulations from myself and the rest of the Landscape House team to all this year’s winners and in particular our 2022 Grand Award Winner, Maylim!”

Host for the ceremony was actor and writer Ralf Little, best known for the roles of Antony Royle in The Royle Family and currently as DI Neville Parker in the crime show Death in Paradise.

British Association of Landscape Industries Chief Executive, Wayne Grills adds: “I am delighted to welcome back our members and guests to the 46th National Landscape Awards. Congratulations to all of our principal and special award winners, with huge congratulations to Maylim, our 2022 Grand Award winner, which impressed our judges not only with the landscaping excellence of the overall project, but also the additional repurposing of existing materials, reducing the financial costs of the scheme, and highlighting the importance of sustainability”.

View the full list of award-winners on the National Landscape Awards website.

Benefitting from a collection at the event, this year’s chosen charities were the BALI Chalk Fund and Perennial who will share £3,414.71 between them, generously donated by guests.