Hackney Parklet
A small public realm project overseen by Emil Eve Architects, the Garden on Geldeston is an oasis of colour and bio-diversity: blossoms bloom, beans climb, bees buzz and butterflies flutter. Changing with the seasons, passers-by can see vegetables growing and pick herbs and berries from the pavement. Children on their way to and from school can watch the garden producing food, help to plant seeds and harvest vegetables and explore the insect friendly environments.
Located off Northwold Road, within the Northwold/Cazenove Conservation Area, Geldeston Road and the surrounding streets are planted with a variety of semi-mature trees and residents take pride in contributing further colour and greenery through their front gardens. The parklet has created a new form of garden for the street - combining allotment, micro-ecosystem, community resource and learning environment.
The garden has been designed to be high-quality, robust, durable and easy to construct and maintain. Clusters of tubes have been designed to be easily relocated in the future if required. They can also be removed for temporary access to the road surface if required.
The parklet is constructed from an array of zinc-plated tube planters which are arranged to create a stepped landscape of greenery. The tubes are recycled off-cuts from ventilation ducts that are commonly used in air-handling systems. The ducts comes in a variety of diameters to cater for different plant types and provide a rolling topography of vegetation. These planters are an exemplar in high-quality recycled materials that could be used in the same way elsewhere.
The tubes also contain a variety of materials which will attract a multitude of insects and wildlife, for example hollow sticks and stems, pine cones and stacked tiles. Nectar-rich planting will provide food for butterflies and bees.