The Passage Charity – London
Garden Designs
This design, commissioned by the homeless charity called The Passage, was for a roof garden in Victoria, London. The brief was to create a garden that could use for raising funds through corporate entertainment as well as providing a place of respite, help and education for those living on the streets. It’s an amazing charity that does all sorts, from providing hot meals, well-being clinics, education, laundry facilities and places for people to stay. The idea was that the garden could function as a place to learn about horticulture and also provide a connection with nature.
The make sure the garden worked well against the strong rectilinear lines of the surrounding architecture, we designed it as a series of simple blocks – essentially raised beds – with ornamentals interplanted with edibles, as well as little patches of wildflower to attract wildlife. Essentially it was an ornamental kitchen garden.
The choice of materials was driven by the colour of the brick and clay tiles of the building. Some planters are made of Corten steel and others of painted timber. It was important to create a sense of the garden belonging to its setting. To make the space multifunctional, we designed it so that the seating and planters could be moved around to create either a big space to entertain or more intimate spaces where people could sit and talk privately. It was a really cool project to work on.
