As part of a series of landscape
enhancement works at the University of Nottingham, the Theatre Gardens were
created on the site of a former building. Landscape architecture practice, Munro + Whitten, were appointed to undertake the
landscape design of the new gardens.
A key part
of the new space was the hard landscaping materials that needed to meet
aesthetic and functional requirements and essential in achieving the desired
result.
Already
familiar with Tobermore paving products from previous projects, the landscape
architect found Tobermore’s vibrant Fusion block paving to be the ideal
solution.
Zsofia Tarnai, Senior Landscape Architect
at Munro + Whitten, explained more about the project: “The University’s vision
was to create a retreat to relax in where students and staff could come to
escape the hustle and bustle of the campus for intellectual pursuits and calm
activities like chess or petanque, as well as providing an area for theatre
groups to carry out small performances in an intimate outdoor environment.”
The landscape design concept was carefully
thought out as Zsofia explained: “The garden adjacent to the new theatre
offered great possibilities as it was a blank canvas following the recent
demolition of older buildings to reveal a new space that deserved a new role.
“We redesigned the area in front of the
theatre entrance to give it a stronger and more suitable space to meet before
performances and to spill out at the interval. The main benefit, of course, was
to give a new role to the space which is a key component of the campus centre.”
It was important that the gardens would
complement the refurbished theatre building and it was evident that a hard
landscaping product with a contemporary aesthetic was required in order to
achieve this. Tobermore paving was the material of choice due to its bright
colours and unique finishes available.
Zsofia commented: “We always strive to
specify the highest quality of materials to suit a space and its role. The
University of Nottingham already had areas of Tobermore paving on its Park
Campus and we decided to continue with a Tobermore product given the quality of
finish and manufacture.”
The Tobermore Midlands Sales team provided
an expert advice service for Munro + Whitten in helping select the most
appropriate paving solution. The landscape architect was particularly impressed
with the modern granite aggregate finish of Fusion block paving and the
eye-catching colour palette available. Zsofia noted: “Fusion had the textured
finish and the variety of colours available to complement the theatre building
and other components of the landscape.”
An amazing colour combination of Fusion in Silver, Rose, Mid Grey and Graphite was specified to
create a soft yet striking laying pattern – meeting the contemporary style
desired perfectly.
In addition to these visual advantages,
Fusion also offered functional benefits as Zsofia outlined: “The wide range of
block sizes made the design more flexible – it meant we could avoid cutting the
blocks which not only pleased our paving contractor but kept the costs down for
the client as well.
“The paved areas on site are primarily for
pedestrian use but we needed a product that could withstand occasional
vehicular overrun by maintenance vehicles and we were delighted that Fusion
also ticked this box.”
Fusion was successfully installed along
with beautiful soft landscaping features and seating areas to fulfil the
landscape design in 2016.
Zsofia commented: “We were very proud of
the end result. It gave the site a sense of new life and enjoyment.”
Munro + Whitten Architects concluded: “We
commend Tobermore not only for the world class products provided for our
design, but also for the team’s fantastic advice and guidance that made our job
so much easier.”
