Winning idea recreates parks for the 21st Century
HLM has won the professional category of the Landscape Institute North West’s Design Ideas Competition – A Public Park for the 21st Century: A celebration of the work of Joseph Paxton.
The competition received more than 130 entries from all over the world and was described by the organisers as: ‘a very challenging and ambitious brief’.
The brief aimed to re-examine the public park in the 21st century and invited architects and designers to consider how best to revitalise and reclaim urban parks as multi-functional resources at the heart of our communities, that are also economically viable and self-sustaining.
HLM’s winning entry was entitled ‘Power to the Park’. It merged Vauxhall Park and Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens along a newly expanded urban spine, which was inspired by nature and innovation.
The concept park reinvents the purpose and impetus of the public park by incorporating new technologies, creating self-generating income and introducing cutting edge science and innovation to inspire the public. The parks redefine and reinvigorate 21st century pleasure – bringing back the raucousness of Victorian pleasure gardens into modern fashion.
Commenting on the win, HLM associate Alethea Ottowell said: ‘The team hope that the winning design will inspire councils and other public bodies to re-evaluate what a public park can and should be. Although the new London park is a concept we would welcome the opportunity to bring our designs to life, whether this is the creation of a new park or the regeneration of an existing public space.’
