AT HOME
AFC WIMBLEDON
entrance and exit and to provide accessible routes from the street level to the courtyards . We also tried to provide spaces that allow for people to sit alone or in small groups , or part of a larger communal event .
The landscape concept itself was centred on creating a sense of place and an environment that is safe and welcoming for the residents of the development and neighbouring communities , with a positive street scene that helps tie the area into the surrounding urban grain . It was integral that the landscape proposals help embed the architectural proposals for the residential development and the football stadium into the local context .
The masterplan team worked together to create a coherent cluster of urban blocks in the neighbourhood , improving public connections and access through the site . The landscape proposals provided an attractive and legible setting for the three residential blocks and the football stadium , which all front onto the north-south street and create new active frontages where they were once blank .
The design development of the north-south route considered how the space works and feels for residents of the development who will be using the space on a daily basis , whilst taking into account the requirements of the space for match day activities and pedestrian flows . Creating a unifying public realm , that helps connect the residential blocks and the football stadium has been central to the design , to create a positive street scene for all users .
The design of the residential courtyards was conceived as a sequence of linked spaces which respond to the form of the enclosing buildings . The design for the landscape takes its clues from the architectural treatment and the strong linear form of the street to create a series of garden spaces , composed of a combination of lawn and ornamental planting with defined areas of social and meeting spaces .
What do you believe is the most unique aspect ? The unique aspect of this project was the bringing together of a football stadium with a large mixed use , residentialled development and the public realm opportunities this presented to open up the site , improving the permeability of the site and integrating it within the local urban grain .
What was the biggest challenge ? The biggest challenge for the scheme overall was how to create a landscape setting that facilitated large numbers of fans using the stadium on a periodic basis , whilst also providing an attractive an animated public realm for the residents who would be using the site on a daily basis .
To help overcome this challenge , the masterplan creates a coherent cluster of urban blocks in the neighbourhood , improving public connections and access . The landscape proposals provide an attractive and legible setting for the three residential blocks and the football stadium , which all front onto a new northsouth street , Which provides primary access for the stadium and the residents .
Retail and community facilities at the base of the stadium will promote use of the site on non-match days , helping to animate the public realm . Access to the residential cores , maisonettes and courtyards are also provided around the perimeter of
20 Landscape Insight | September 2018