London's Olympic Park brings together three of the most innovative plantsmen in the world. Will the results live up to the hype?
Not since the Victorian era--at the height of the British empire--has a park been created with as much ambition or swagger. The London Olympic Park, a 247-acre "park with venues," is the largest urban park developed in Europe in 150 years.
 |
| Professor Nigel Dunnett standing in one of his annual meadows. |
The master plan for the park was developed by American landscape architecture firm Hargreaves and Associates together with British LDA Associates. Hargreaves Associates is known for their sculptural treatment of large, post-industrial sites--an appropriate choice for this former industrial site at Stratford in east London. But for once, it is not the architecture of the park that will take center stage, but the planting instead.
The planting was lead by two of the most innovative, cutting-edge plantsmen in the world: Professors James Hitchmough and Nigel Dunnett of the Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield. Their research-based approach to planting has produced landscapes that are both ecologically funtional and jaw-droppingly beautiful. Hitchmough and Dunnett pioneered a unique approach to urban planting, which combines native and non-native plant species in low-input systems based on semi-natural vegetation types, such as meadows, woodlands and wetlands. This approach has come to be known as `The Sheffield School´ of planting design. The two men bridge the gap between ecological restoration and horticulture, creating landscapes that address urban ecology and beauty.
 |
| A 'pictorial meadow' in South Park developed by Dunnett/Hitchmough. Photo: Dunnett |
