The WaterAid garden explores the challenges presented by an ever-changing climate. It focuses on sustainable water management and features a colourful array of plant species designed to deal with varying amounts of rainfall.
The garden uses materials that are reclaimed and repurposed for a lighter carbon footprint. At the centre of the design is a rainwater-harvesting pavilion, inspired by WaterAid’s work with communities around the world to develop sustainable water solutions.
The structure harvests every drop of rainfall, filtering and storing this precious resource for drinking and irrigating while also slowing flow and providing shade.
Who is this garden for?
For the education and enjoyment of everyone.
Where is the garden set?
South west England
Who or what is the design inspiration?
The potential for sustainable water management.
Alnus glutinosa ‘Pyramidalis’ emerge though the pavilion, part of a planting scheme chosen principally for resilience and biodiversity. The planting is textured and colourful, shifting from denser, wetter, lowland areas to sparser, dryer upland character with the garden’s shifting topography.
The Garden has been reloctaed to Manchester's Castlefield Viaduct, which was opened as a sky park by the National Trust in 2022, where it will inspire even more people to use water wisely.
In it's new home, the Garden will help with the ongoing transformation of this historic steel viaduct into a beautiful sky garden in the heart of the city. Free to access all year round, the park celebrates the area's industrial heritage while providing vital green space.
The WaterAid Garden at Castlefield Viaduct will open to the public in 2025.
We are particularly proud to have worked with Tom & Je on this project and thrilled to have been awarded a Gold Medal for our work in bringing the garden to life and fulfilling designers vision.
