Driving along Piccadilly, on my way to do a bit of Christmas, my usual route of turning into Dover street was greatly enhanced by the surprise installation of the eight storey green wall on London’s Athenaeum Hotel. Patrick Blanc, a French botanist, designed the wall, which includes 260 species and 12,000 actual plants.
The green wall is supported by a trellis. “A plastic-coated aluminum frame is fastened to the wall and covered with synthetic felt into which plant roots can burrow. A custom irrigation system keeps the felt moist with a fertilizer solution modeled after the rainwater that trickles through forest canopies.”
Given that the green wall is eight stories high, planting conditions vary at different floors. “The shade at ground level is perfect for rare Asian nettles; on the brighter upper stories, plants that usually cling to windblown cliff faces brave the blustery British breezes.”
Recently installed, there are a few teething problems with regards to the irrigation system as some plants unfortunately hadn’t established, resulting in a few bare patches.
This didn’t dissuade from the color, vibrancy and optimism the installation brought; contrasting with the subtle tones of Piccadilly’s historic architecture; joining the dots with Green Park and providing an appealing addition to London’s green infrastructure.
Have been visiting Royal Victoria Square as part of our Streetlife module, where for an assignment we were tasked to select a completed regeneration project reflecting our aspirations for the Rotterdam site we in January. Completed in 2000, Edaw were commissioned by the London Development Agency to create a square that would act as a hub for future proposed developments and connect with other green spaces within the vicinity, such as Thames Barrier Park. The 1.6Ha square is larger than Trafalgar Square and acts as the new public plaza to London’s largest exhibition centre, The Excel. The square provides an attractive through route from Custom’s House DRL Station to the award winning footbridge, designed by Lifschutz Davidson, which links the northern dock to West Silvrton. The design is a contemporary interpretation of the area’s identity as a working industrial dock. A central deep-set lawn is framed by granite walkway’s with two large canopies forming a covered passageway to the main entrance of the exhibition centre. Water and lighting featues animate the plaza from the quartzite deck running through the main route and, to one side, a triangular set of trees defines the pedestrian route from the bridge to the station. Respecting the square’s historic features, the design incorporates a Grade II Listed warehouse that was originally at the head of the finger dock. 
Visited the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial in Hyde Park late on Sunday afternoon. It was a clear day with blue skies and long shadows from the retreating sun. I grew up close to Hyde Park, swimming at the Serpentine during the summer months and was surprised how much it had changed. The restaurant that once defined the area had gone and the swathes of grass where people would sunbath was now the site of the memorial. It was impressive to see the huge circle of white stone set amongst the fresh planes of grass as you walked down into the serpentine. I had previously seen photographs of the memorial, but failed to appreciate the actual scale of the fountain and although it was fairly busy you were still able to experience the subtleties of movement and sounds of the falling water over the various sections of the fountain.The source is located at the highest point, releasing approximately 100 litres per second. From here it ran down in two directions, east and west. To the east the water falls down a cascade of textured steps, where it then enters an area of sculptured granite so the water gently rocks and rolls as it travels along a subtle curve. The water then picks up momentum, before it enters another curve where five water jets create swirls and the additional energy in the fountain forms what is called the swoosh. The granite channel to the west of the source is highly textured to produce a play of water that recalls a mountain stream or babbling brook. The water then passes under a pedestrian level crossing where the stone channel starts to flatten out. As the water travels further, air bubbles are introduced at five locations. The bubbles are taken downstream where the water becomes a tumbling cascade of white water as it drops over the waterfall. As the water falls into a large pool at the bottom of the ring, it passes over what is called a Chaddar, a water feature created by the flow over elaborately carved stone found in traditional Muhgal gardens. The water from both directions end their journeys at the Reflecting pool, the lowest point of the fountain, the visible surface of the water being enlivened by the texturing at the bottom of the pool. It is here where the water is pumped back to the source to continue its unending cycle. The amount of thought and detail encompassed within the development of the different forms and cuts made into the stone cannot be realised until physically visiting the memorial. To imagine the fountain from its inception as a clay model through the various processes to a 3D seamless form, from which 545 individual stones of exact proportions could be sent to stonecutters for production is an achievement to behold. I found the smooth, subtle engineering of the granite stone, the use of water and its changing movements set amongst the openness of the grass planes a fitting contemporary memorial, invoking a true sense of calm and serenity. 
