- Location:
- Solihull
- Services:
- Client:
- Rolls-Royce plc
- Sector:
- Landscape Architecture
Workplace
The approach to the landscape design for this site had two main objectives:
- To create a practical and attractive environment for employees and visitors to the site, and to enhance the appearance of the business park with this important new development, and;
- To recreate and enhance the ecological value of the site and to mitigate the loss of habitat that naturally migrated during the fallow period, before the site was set for development.
The generous parkland setting at the front of the building addressed the scale and integration with the business park environment with a softly evolving boundary treatment.
Surrounding the car parking and pedestrian zones is more dense ornamental shrub planting to soften the appearance of the paved areas and to funnel the walkway routes around the site.
The landscape design clearly delineates the zones within the site, manages pedestrian routes for safety and clarity, and creates a pleasant environment around the buildings and hard finished areas. The overall appearance of the landscape forms a mature and vibrant setting for the buildings and creates strong visual links to the surrounding rural landscape.
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Habitat creation was a priority on the site and after detailed assessments of the site, it was recognised that the location of ecological development needed to be well positioned to ensure that maximum benefit was gained from the new environments created.
At the southern end of the site, where the car parking abuts the existing mature hedge and tree zones, a broad area of wildflower meadow was proposed, with a gradation in height to the hedgerow zones. This will be the subject of a detailed management regime to create an attractive and ecologically sound environment linked to the existing areas of habitat.
