- Location:
- Nottingham
- Services:
- Client:
- Experian
- Sector:
- Landscape Architecture
In response to new ways of working, prompted by the coronavirus pandemic, Experian restructured their Nottingham office to function as a regional hub. To support this organisational change an additional 200 parking spaces were needed on site to accommodate a more geographically diverse workforce, and more dynamic use of the building.
The 1.46 hectare site selected for the new car park was a levelled brownfield plot composed of made ground, located between the John Peace Building and the River Leen wildlife corridor. The site had stood unused for twenty years, and in that time a diverse successional landscape composed primarily of open grassland and woody scrub, had established. Ecologists classified the site as an ‘open mosaic habitat’ which has a high ecological value.
The challenge of the design was threefold. How to accommodate Experian’s organisational demands for parking, whilst satisfying Nottingham’s progressive transportation policy, and most importantly minimising impact to the site’s rich ecology. Ultimately achieving a policy requirement of 10% net gain in biodiversity across the campus.
To achieve these goals the car park design adopted a minimal disturbance strategy preserving as much of the open mosaic habitat as possible. Soils that had to be removed from the site to accommodate pavements were stockpiled and re-applied to lawn areas across the campus preserving the indigenous seed content and creating new habitat zones.
All pavements, drive lanes, and parking bays are permeable, allowing stormwater to be captured and retained on site. Significantly limiting runoff and minimising impact on storm sewers.
Parking bays are composed of a pre grown vegetated geo-grid seeded with perennial grass and wildflower species that complement the existing botany. This will allow for ‘fallow’ areas to be allowed to grow when the full parking capacity is not needed and the parking / landscape can expand and contract as necessary.
Planting design focuses on repairing and reinforcing the existing habitat. As such tree and shrub planting palettes were developed in collaboration with ecologists and seed mixes were designed specific to the existing species composition to preserve the ecological status of the site. Providing a rich environment for pollinators and insects as well as valuable habitats, food sources, nesting and roosting opportunities for birds and bats.
Collaboration was central to the success of the Experian project. maber’s landscape team collaborated with office and estates staff in re assessing the value of the existing landscape ecology, and its role in the broader context of climate change, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. It not only helped shape the design strategy for the new parking lot, but critically identified biodiversity goals across the broader campus.
It also started a discussion about nature, education, and place making that extended through the organisation resulting in the inclusion of community garden plots in the design and the founding of an employees gardening group. Experian have also partnered with local beekeepers and the site now hosts 6 beehives and a new population of 500,000 bees.
At the site opening event, as part of Experian’s ‘environment day’, maber distributed 500 packets of wildflower seed to Experian staff as part of our pollinator project.
