Shortlist for NLA & Southwark Council Bramcote Park re-vamp revealed

Thursday 25 November 2021

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Shortlist for NLA & Southwark Council Bramcote Park re-vamp revealed

Together with Southwark Council we're delighted to announce the six design collaborations that have been shortlisted in the Revive Bramcote Park design competition: this aims to a develop a creative masterplan that prioritises community input, to turn a disjointed public park in South Bermondsey into a valuable and welcoming green space for all.

The competition sought innovative approaches to the redesign of Bramcote Park, with architects, landscape architects, designers and artists invited to consider the transformative impact of the masterplan at all scales. Building on existing local feedback, this includes updates to the sustainability and durability of seating and play provisions, as well as public realm improvements that could reduce vehicular traffic on the road dividing the park, to create a unified green space that facilitates safe pedestrian connections and accessibility.

Made possible due to funding from the ongoing regeneration of Old Kent Road, the project is supported by landowners Notting Hill Genesis and Optivo. The selected teams stood out for how their initial responses captured Bramcote Park’s potential as a thriving local hub, as well as their commitment to involving and engaging the community to foster a sense of ownership and reflect the neighbourhood’s diversity.

The six shortlisted teams are:

Assemble and Local Works with Assemble Play and Webb Yates

Assemble is an award-winning design collective, championing a way of working which is local and committed to making the built environment more imaginative, careful and open to all - Assemble Play is a part of Assemble, made up of a small team of Playworkers. Local Works Studio is led by a landscape architect and a construction materials specialist, who bring a circular economy approach to design and construction, focusing on the creative reuse of site-based resources and local manufacture and processing. Together they are working with multidisciplinary engineering practice, Webb Yates Engineers, who have received numerous competitions and awards for their work.

https://assemblestudio.co.uk/
Instagram: @assembleofficial

https://localworksstudio.com/

Instagram: @localworkstudio

Twitter: @localworkstudio

https://www.webbyates.com/

Instagram: @webbyates

Twitter: @WebbYates

Bamidele, Farouk & Livia with Spacehub

Bamidele, Farouk & Livia are a collective of designers and artists living and working in South London, with an ambition to collaborate with different groups and communities in their projects. Together they team up with Spacehub, an innovative and passionate studio specialising in landscape architecture, urban design and ecology.

Instagram:

@tundeawoyemi

@farouk__agoro

@liviaqingwang

@spacehubdesign

Twitter:

@spacehubdesign

Websites:

https://www.faroukagoro.com/

http://spacehubdesign.com/

John Puttick Associates with BBUK and Heather Burrell

John Puttick Associates is a London-based architectural studio specialising in civic and public sector projects throughout the UK. The studio was founded in 2014 with a competition-winning entry for the refurbishment of Preston’s Brutalist bus station, which reopened to the public in 2018 to critical acclaim. BBUK is an award-winning landscape design practice led by Harriet Bourne. From its inception in 2002 the practice has taken on a wide range of projects ranging from Streetscape Design Guidance, Public Parks and Open Spaces through to private gardens for individual and commercial clients. Heather Burrell is an artist, offering fine art and metalwork intended for public spaces.

http://www.johnputtickassociates.com/

Instagram: @johnputtickassociates

https://www.bbukstudio.com/

Instagram: @bbukstudiolimited

www.heatherburrell.co.uk

Ludwig Willis Architects with Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects, Esther Calinawan & Poku-Davies Studio

Ludwig Willis Architects are based in Southwark and were founded by Anna Ludwig and Rufus Willis in 2016. Together with Jonathan Cook Landscape Architects and Studio Poku-Davies & Esther Calinawan the design team shares a passion for creating imaginative urban landscapes and public places that inspire and delight.

ludwigwillis.com

Instagram: @ludwigwillisarchitects
Twitter: @LudwigWillisA

jcla.co.uk

Instagram: @esther_arch @daniel.davies

Okra with Build Up, Hortus Collective and Op.x

Image credit: Photography by ZAC and ZAC

Okra is a multidisciplinary studio specialising in architecture, engagement and education working to celebrate and empower communities. For this project, they are collaborating with Build Up – an initiative running practical construction projects for young people to design and build in their local communities – as well as landscape design practice, Hortus Collective who have expertise in creative exploration, planting design and a practical understanding of landscaping and horticulture. The team also includes Op.x, a street artist who creates highly-contextual, engagement-focussed and accessible art in public spaces.

www.okrastudio.com
Instagram: @okrastudio

www.buildup.org.uk
Instagram: @build_up_foundation

www.hortuscollective.co.uk
Instagram: @hortus_collective

Instagram: @op.x.mmxiv

Sanchez Benton Architects with Gabriel Kuri and Nigel Dunnett

Carlos Sanchez and Tom Benton met while working at 6a architects and established their practice in 2017 to work on projects that have a social, poetic and architectural ambition. They work collaboratively and enjoy a process that values ongoing conversations with clients, colleagues, consultants, and all users of the architecture. Gabriel Kuri is a Mexican artist, whose sculptures and installations explore systemisation, consumption and the complex relationships between the innate material properties of things and their ‘real world’ meanings. Nigel Dunnett is Professor of Planting Design and Urban Horticulture at the University of Sheffield and is one of the world’s leading voices on innovative, ecological approaches to planting design in public spaces, and how this can address climate change and a sustainable future.

sanchezbenton.co.uk
Instagram: @sanchez_benton

The 6 shortlisted teams have been awarded a £1000 honorarium to develop their initial concepts with residents and local stakeholders. Their proposals will then be displayed in a local exhibition which will be open to the public from 30th November to 12th December – feedback from this exhibition will be used to inform the final stage of the competition. The winning team will be announced in January 2022 and once appointed, will continue to develop the presented exhibition ideas with local residents based on the outline engagement approach. It is anticipated that the improvements will be delivered in late 2022.

The competition is being judged by an expert panel including Aida Esposito (Founding Director, creativethinking), Rosa Rogina (Director, London Festival of Architecture (part of NLA), Sanjiv Sangha (Head of Technical, Design Quality and New Homes, Optivo), Colin Wilson (Head of Regeneration, Old Kent Road), Laura Schofield (Membership Development Manager, Landscape Institute) and Conor Sullivan (local resident).

Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency and Sustainable Development, Southwark Council, said:

“I’m excited about the much-needed transformation of Bramcote Park. All six of these shortlisted teams have the potential to bring a truly innovative approach to the project. I can’t wait to see the initial concepts they each provide for the public exhibition opening on 30 November. I hope as many people as possible take the time to look at the ideas and to provide their feedback before we take a final decision on which design should be developed further.”

Rosa Rogina, director of the London Festival of Architecture (part of NLA), said:

“We’re thrilled to be working alongside Southwark Council on this project, and it’s been fantastic to see such a broad range of entries, from teams working across a wide array of disciplines.

The competition is a brilliant opportunity to transform the park’s role in the community and each shortlisted team captured our imaginations with their ambitious initial responses to how the park can better serve local residents - both as a welcoming and safe gathering space and with much-needed amenities. I am really looking forward to seeing how the shortlist have been developing their ideas alongside the community, and to see the concepts displayed in the upcoming public exhibition.”

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