Rooted: Beneath the Surface

Roots

Dense urban neighbourhoods are deeply rooted in diverse communities and shaped by the journeys of people building new lives. In unfamiliar surroundings, they weave together cultures, forming a vibrant tapestry of colours, flavours, and sounds worldwide. We celebrate the roots of these communities, embracing integration, adaptation, and reinvention.

Raised

Some sites are so tightly woven into the urban fabric that ground-level space for landscapes is scarce. In these cases, we create raised, multi-level landscapes that blur and challenge the boundaries between inside and out.

At Lewisham we focus on the retention and reworking of the existing shopping centre structure, prioritising sensitive phasing to ensure local businesses can continue to operate and support the community throughout the construction process. A comprehensive community engagement programme has helped nurture community relationships incorporating innovative methods, such as using the gaming platform ‘Fortnite’ to let people explore and feedback on the future space virtually. Additionally, the project will creatively introduce more nature by raising the landscape above the shopping centre, restoring meadow-like environments in line with Lewisham’s historical roots, derived from the Saxon name ‘Levesham’, meaning ‘the house among the meadows.’

Reciprocal

Transformative change must start from the ground up. We rely on local residents and stakeholders - the end users, who hold deep connections to their communities and the will for a better future. By championing the reciprocal nature of co-design, we can amplify often unheard voices to shape neighbourhoods for future generations.

Rigorous

Complex subterranean challenges are often hidden out of view – entangled utility systems and transport infrastructure are a common underground puzzle for many urban sites. In these cases, a rigorous and innovative approach is essential to overcome these obstacles.

Sites don’t get much more complex than Earls Court. The area presents significant challenges both above and below ground, with transport tunnels creating difficult subterranean conditions and complex topography at the surface. Additionally, the new neighbourhood spans two London boroughs, adding a layer of political intricacy. However, this complexity also brings a unique opportunity to reconnect and revitalise an important part of London. Our rigorous design solutions will overcome these challenges by creating a network of Exhibition Gardens, including a 4.5-acre urban park set within 20 acres of public realm. The success of the framework is owed to the reciprocal outcome of the co-design process.

Resilient

Cities are having to face unprecedented climate challenges – from increased rainfall events to rising temperatures. In all scenarios, we embrace a resilient approach, combined with stewardship to ensure places continue to serve the needs of people and nature.

Restorative

Former industrial sites display the scars of their past beneath the surface, through environmental degradation, contamination, and urban decline. Here, we adopt a restorative approach, preserving heritage value while healing and enhancing the ecology.

At Mayfield in Manchester, we respect and celebrate the site’s rich heritage by thoughtfully integrating its industrial history, character, and traditions into a contemporary design that honours the past while shaping a vibrant future. By saving Mayfield Depot from demolition in 2017, we created a dynamic cultural space, a place that resonates with people in the short term while the broader development takes shape. Since then, the Depot has become the country’s leading music venue, reconnecting this once-forgotten industrial site with the city and beyond.

The first phase of development, a park, was completed and opened in September 2022. Its design emphasises a strong reuse strategy, incorporating salvaged materials from the site to create a restorative, post-industrial landscape. Industrial elements have been transformed into playful features, shaping the first city-centre park in over a century, a distinctive space where history and innovation intersect. The park has also been designed with climate resilience in mind, with climate adapted biodiversity, floodable landscape and long-term environmental stewardship.

Reconnected

Everything in life is connected but sometimes a place can feel physically and socially isolated from its wider setting. We want to ensure that these places are reconnected to their wider ecosystem, providing citizens with abundant opportunities to connect with one another, access nature and live a healthy lifestyle.

Respect

Undisturbed ground conditions often support thriving, biodiverse ecosystems that have been shaped and cultivated by nature. In these instances, we engage with respect.

At Bratislava Southbank we have thoughtfully shaped the new neighbourhood around existing mature trees, respecting their root systems, preserving the natural landscape and enhancing the new neighbourhood environment. By building around these trees, we maintain established ecosystems, biodiversity, provide natural shade, improve air quality for homes, and create a serene, picturesque setting for the community. All these factors are crucial to implementing resilient communities that will reconnect the riverside embankment with the city centre and residential outskirts.

Resonate

A new public space or cultural building alone is not enough to create sustainable places with identity. We want to ensure towns and neighbourhoods will resonate with people, through growing a rooted cultural ecosystem that will reverberate and adapt to the rhythm of cultural change.

Relationships

Roots and soils are often viewed as separate parts to a mysterious ecosystem below the ground. Through the exhibitions curated by Somerset House and Studio Egret West, we explore the relationship between roots and soils to share inspiring narratives and visions for a kinder, sustainable future for Earth and its inhabitants.

Soil: The World at Our Feet (Somerset House)

We are proud to be Soil Champions and supporters of Soil: The World at Our Feet, a ground-breaking exhibition currently on display at Somerset House. This exhibition explores the extraordinary power and potential of soil through a diverse range of artworks, artifacts, and innovative approaches, encouraging a re-examination of the crucial role soil plays in the health of our planet.

Through our sister exhibition, Rooted: Beneath the Surface, we share a message of hope by showcasing the methods we use to establish and nurture new elements of city and landscape. We reflect on the challenges and hidden life beneath each of our projects, telling distinctive stories about place and identity.