iMET Alconbury Weald
iMET Alconbury Weald
Most of our towns and cities have started as a collection of houses around a significant landscape feature such as a river crossing, a road junction or a pass-through hills. This by definition creates places that grow concentrically – at least to begin with. Any secondary landscape features happen where there is space; when we have the opportunity to build an entirely new town these constraints are not there, meaning that we can plan landscape in simultaneously with the buildings and accesses that service them.
Alconbury Weald is one of the new towns that are being built in England. Formerly a large RAF and USAF air base of 1425 acres to the northwest of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, this development by developers Urban and Civic, of 6500 homes, businesses including Cambridgeshire County Council and infrastructure gave the designers (Alford Hall Monaghan Morris working with Bradley Murphy Design, Stantec and JTP) the opportunity to create a landscape that befits a sustainable development. From the moment you enter Alconbury Weald it is clear that tree planting is of great value and the spine road has a wide central median strip with avenue trees establishing healthily. These trees in soft planting were plated at the beginning of the development meaning that now, as the development proceeds, these trees are maturing, giving character and tone to the new town. Working round a number of listed buildings the development is an interesting juxtaposition between wartime era buildings and new high tech construction, leading to a pleasing blend of architecture.
Project
Location
Contractor
Landscape Architect
Most of our towns and cities have started as a collection of houses around a significant landscape feature such as a river crossing, a road junction or a pass-through hills. This by definition creates places that grow concentrically – at least to begin with. Any secondary landscape features happen where there is space; when we have the opportunity to build an entirely new town these constraints are not there, meaning that we can plan landscape in simultaneously with the buildings and accesses that service them.
Alconbury Weald is one of the new towns that are being built in England. Formerly a large RAF and USAF air base of 1425 acres to the northwest of Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, this development by developers Urban and Civic, of 6500 homes, businesses including Cambridgeshire County Council and infrastructure gave the designers (Alford Hall Monaghan Morris working with Bradley Murphy Design, Stantec and JTP) the opportunity to create a landscape that befits a sustainable development. From the moment you enter Alconbury Weald it is clear that tree planting is of great value and the spine road has a wide central median strip with avenue trees establishing healthily. These trees in soft planting were plated at the beginning of the development meaning that now, as the development proceeds, these trees are maturing, giving character and tone to the new town. Working round a number of listed buildings the development is an interesting juxtaposition between wartime era buildings and new high tech construction, leading to a pleasing blend of architecture.
Project
Location
Contractor
Landscape Architect
Project
Location
Contractor
Landscape Architect
Alconbury Weald is designed to be a sustainable development, future-proofed against climate change. Using tree canopy cover to mitigate against the hot dry summers that are forecast is an intelligent option, as this area, largely flat agricultural land, holds water for the trees to evapo-transpire. In addition to using trees as heat mitigation, these are also used to store stormwater in their canopy, and as they grow will become more effective in rainwater management. The whole site is designed around water neutrality, with a series of water storage features across the 577 hectare site, including stormwater crates beneath the cricket pitch, central to the development, which itself is able to flood store significant amounts of water.
The iMET building (standing for innovation manufacturing engineering technology), was designed to blend into the development, and be sustainable in its own right. The trees in the car park and in front of the building in the hard paving, are an important feature and therefore GreenBlue Urban were pleased to be involved in the design and installation of these tree pits. Using the GreenBlue Urban Arbor system, with RootSpace soil cells, ReRoot root management products, RootRain irrigation and aeration products, and the Castle inlaid tree grill, these trees have sufficient uncompacted quality soil to enable them to reach maturity and to attain species potential in longevity. This solution is the best guarantee that trees in hard paving will be an asset for decades, maximising the benefits and minimising potential liabilities into the future.
Alconbury Weald is designed to be a sustainable development, future-proofed against climate change. Using tree canopy cover to mitigate against the hot dry summers that are forecast is an intelligent option, as this area, largely flat agricultural land, holds water for the trees to evapo-transpire. In addition to using trees as heat mitigation, these are also used to store stormwater in their canopy, and as they grow will become more effective in rainwater management. The whole site is designed around water neutrality, with a series of water storage features across the 577 hectare site, including stormwater crates beneath the cricket pitch, central to the development, which itself is able to flood store significant amounts of water.
The iMET building (standing for innovation manufacturing engineering technology), was designed to blend into the development, and be sustainable in its own right. The trees in the car park and in front of the building in the hard paving, are an important feature and therefore GreenBlue Urban were pleased to be involved in the design and installation of these tree pits. Using the GreenBlue Urban Arbor system, with RootSpace soil cells, ReRoot root management products, RootRain irrigation and aeration products, and the Castle inlaid tree grill, these trees have sufficient uncompacted quality soil to enable them to reach maturity and to attain species potential in longevity. This solution is the best guarantee that trees in hard paving will be an asset for decades, maximising the benefits and minimising potential liabilities into the future.
Alconbury Weald is a new town, evoking the spirit of the new towns of the 20th century. Places such as Letchworth Garden city, Welwyn garden city, Hatfield, and others have shown how the correct balance between green infrastructure and hard landscape can be life-enhancing, and more practically, lead to a more desirable place to live. It is an established fact that green infrastructure increases property prices and desirability and brings numerous social and health benefits that nothing else can. GreenBlue Urban is working unceasingly to create healthy urban spaces in harmony with nature.
Alconbury Weald is a new town, evoking the spirit of the new towns of the 20th century. Places such as Letchworth Garden city, Welwyn garden city, Hatfield, and others have shown how the correct balance between green infrastructure and hard landscape can be life-enhancing, and more practically, lead to a more desirable place to live. It is an established fact that green infrastructure increases property prices and desirability and brings numerous social and health benefits that nothing else can. GreenBlue Urban is working unceasingly to create healthy urban spaces in harmony with nature.
