In March, Ebbsfleet
Development Corporation and NHS England launched
an international design competition.
The brief: to find
the best creative and inspiring ideas to help shape the landscape of Ebbsfleet,
the first new Garden City of the 21st Century, and the largest of 10 Healthy
New Towns being developed in the UK.
Michael Cassidy CBE,
Chair of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, took to the stage on day one of the
LI’s 2018 conference, Valuing Landscape:
Connecting People, Place and Nature, to announce the winner.
Earlier in the day,
conference delegates had a chance to view at the competition shortlist at the
University of Greenwich’s Stockwell Street library exhibition space.
Judges agreed that
all of the entries were fantastic, but in the end, were unanimous in selecting
the winner: HALO (Hives, Arcs, Links and Organics).
A model for growing
a healthy infrastructure, HALO is a concept developed by Bradley Murphy Design,
in collaboration with John Thompson Partnership, Peter Brett Associates and
Sebastien Boyesen.
The concept aims to
deliver healthy infrastructure to residents’ doorsteps. By providing
accessible, attractive and inspirational places, residents will be motivated to
take up physical activity as a natural part of their daily lives. The design is
made up of four key interventions to the landscape that will overlay Ebbsfleet
like a web:
- Connecting people to places
and to each other through activity hubs that foster social and community
engagement
- Addressing the fragmentation
of landscape and habitats via a ‘people highway’ that provides
uninterrupted access to nature
- Exploring accessibility
issues and the unique challenges the site presents using a green-grid
network for community and wildlife movement
- Solving the lack of sources
of healthy food with focal points for food production and habitat
creation.
In the view of the
judges, HALO demonstrated such thorough practicality of thinking that the
concept fulfilled exactly what they had hoped for: a design that was radical,
but realisable. The panel was also excited by its possibilities, particularly
because the design reflected the ‘three
magnets’ concept developed by the garden city movement’s founder, Ebenezer
Howard.
The second phase of
the Ebbsfleet Design Challenge focused on the Blue Lake site, because of the
opportunities it offers local communities to benefit from the landscape. It
will also be at the heart of the Garden City, and one of the site’s seven city
parks.
Dan Cook, CEO of the
Landscape Institute – who managed the competition – said: "When you launch
a competition of this kind you are never quite sure what response you are going
to get. The judges were impressed by the standard of entries and the innovative
thinking shown. HALO’s winning design stood out for its clarity, and the
collaboration of the multidisciplinary team bringing together the best aspects
of living in London with those of living in Kent, the Garden of England.
"The landscape
profession has really risen to the occasion with some excellent entries that
sought to tackle many of the issues faced at complex site. The panel of judges
were truly impressed with all of the finalists’ designs, and felt they showed inspirational
leadership, an ability to think holistically when faced with such a challenging
site, and how it connects with the people who live to improve their
lives."
