Project Name – Crossrail Roof Terrace

Contractor – Blakedown Landscapes

Architect – Gillespies

Project Information – The new Crossrail station in the North Dock of West India Quay, immediately north of Canary Wharf, has been transformed by the new station designed by Foster + Partners. Atop the new station is the roof park/garden covering over 5300m² and designed by Gillespies. The primary function of the roof garden is as a publicly accessible garden space. The innovative space offers a unique climate with a partly covered roof; specialist planting plays a key role in the journey across the garden

Bourne Amenity Involvement – A fantastic project to be involved with that now plays a key role in creating an urban space of tranquillity and calm in the centre of the hustle and bustle of the financial district. We supplied close to 1,000 tonne of certified topsoil and subsoil into this scheme, along with specialist tree planting substrate to support the ferns and mature trees that were craned in via the roof.

“Bourne Amenity became part of the team at Crossrail and helped to make sure material was delivered exactly when required and to the high standard we expect. The evidence of the quality of the product is evidence now several years on as the garden has matured and the planting is flourishing” - Chris Wellbelove, Director, Blakedown Landscapes

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Project Name – Project Mural, 2018

Contractor – Frosts Landscapes

Architect – Townshend

Project Information - 1 London Wall Place is a circa 300,000 sq ft building arranged over 12 storeys incorporating over 35,000 sq ft of roof terraces for exclusive tenant use. Occupied by Schroders plc, a British multinational asset management company, the new office allowed them to bring most of their London staff into a single building for the first time. The world class space embraces agile, collaborative and innovative practices and the roof terraces are a key element and asset for the staff in the new working environs.

Bourne Amenity Involvement – Working with one of our long-term partners Frosts Landscapes always enables us to showcase the quality and versatility of our product range. This was a challenging site with restriction on drop times and access. We supplied close to 19,000 small unit bags of our Intensive lightweight substrate, along with a double washed silica sand and composted bark fines. There was no space for a crane on site so all materials were discharged using a service lift.

“Bourne Amenity were a great help in building this very challenging scheme, with limited access through a very busy loading bay. Their ability to rise to the challenge and go above and beyond really did help to build a successful project. Their products have been excellent and their consistency over the course of the project was always dependable.” Oli Street, Contracts Manager, Frosts Landscapes

Project Fact – The site sits within a small area known to be home to one of the UK’s rarest bird species: the black redstart. There are estimated to be less than 100 breeding pairs of this bird in the UK, and some of this population live and breed in London’s heavily built-up Square Mile. The 11 garden terraces include nesting boxes for birds and bats and a range of water features and plants to encourage foraging and breeding.

See a gallery of pictures on Instagram

#wgrd2020

As the dust settles on the 6th instalment of the Futurescape trade show, it is worth taking a minute to recognise and appreciate the positive effect that both the show, and in general the ProLandscaper magazine and associated publications have had on our industry.

It has been 10 years since the first edition of ProLandscaper magazine was published and it has been an upwards trajectory ever since. The team at Eljays44 have helped to lift the profile of the industry we know and love, and given the landscaping industry the voice that it fully deserves.

This year’s instalment at the increasingly more congested Sandown park racecourse venue saw another great line-up of guest speakers covering business topics from industry big hitters like Ken White from Frosts Landscapes to more technical seminars from the likes of Green Blue Urban and Tim O’Hare Associates. These educational forums break up the monotony of stand surfing and allow new members of our Bourne Amenity sales team to gather invaluable insights from seasoned industry campaigners like Mark Gregory and David Dodd. The 30 under 30 competition is also a great way to encourage and celebrate emerging talent within the industry, which is desperately needed within the sector.

The strength of shows such as this is that they focus on innovation and education rather than being purely business driven and although we have had a stand since the show inception, it is a great opportunity to meet and share a coffee with friends and foes from within the industry. Although we operate in a ferociously competitive trading environment, the Futurescape concept allows for, and is at the time of year where, we can take stock of the year’s successes and look at ways to build and drive innovation moving toward next year. The single day, winter format is perfect for a quick snapshot of the marketplace and if this year is anything to go by, then the landscaping sector has never been more buoyant.

We welcome the input from the team at Eljays44 and are proud to support all of their new initiatives. We have recently been announced as the headline sponsor for their inaugural Podium Awards in March of 2019. We see ourselves as innovators within our own specialist field, and the exposure that comes from the shows, seminars and workshops provided by organisations such as BALI and Eljays44 has undoubtedly helped the industry move with the times, and respond to the challenging trading environment and a greater desire for innovation and excellence.

Overall the show was another resounding success, and the general takeaway feeling was that the industry was in decent shape heading into 2019. There are some startlingly innovative specifications that land on my desk on a weekly basis, from ambitious roof garden schemes to outstanding work in the field of SuDS and other environmentally continuous projects. The mood seems positive given the rising threat or opportunity provided by Brexit, and the team at Eljays44 are certainly doing all they can to promote the hard work and dedication emanating from within the industry.