A SuDS Journey - from Unholy
Marriage to Urban Oasis
Relationships work best whenever the partners work on an equal footing, with each understanding
and complementing the strengths, expertise and remit of the other. The recent Australia Road SuDS
Park in London exemplifies this integrated design approach to deliver a successful green and social
community ‘oasis’ that protects against flooding.
Design and Engineering in Tandem.
Most schemes employ the services of
Landscape Architect and Civil Engineer
but there is usually very little in the way of
collaborative working between the two,
with each carrying out their respective
tasks in isolation. In other words they form
a bit of an unholy marriage as numerous
opportunities are not realised in what
could have been integrated design of the
landscape to manage surface runoff. We
are surrounded by numerous examples
where the landscape does not form any
significant function and where drainage
is via underground pipes that can quickly
become surcharged by runoff.
If both Architect and Engineer work
in unison the benefits of more flood
resilient landscapes that offer improved
functionality and attractive surroundings
for the community, all at reduced
construction cost, are easily attainable. A
recent example of this type of joined up
thinking is the delivery of the Australia
64 Landscape & Urban Design Issue 17
Road scheme in the White City area of
northwest London. Whilst the initial focus
of the scheme was urban regeneration, the
client quickly realised that redevelopment
was an ideal opportunity to introduce
SuDS as part of an integrated landscape
within the Borough. In this way SuDS
can be viewed as an asset to enhance
the character of the landscape rather
than storing runoff out of sight in an
underground tank.
Community-led Project.
The notion that water has a valid place in
the landscape (even in densely populated
areas of London) was emphaised at the
first stakeholders meeting. The head of the
residents committee outlined his vision for
the scheme as
“the creation of an ‘urban oasis’”
which woul