Edge Fest

Ebury Edge is a meanwhile use project in Westminster that is scheduled to run from 2020 – 2024 whilst the surrounding area is in transition. astudio are working with Westminster City Council to deliver the regeneration of the Ebury Bridge Estate just south of London Victoria. The design will see the renewal of existing housing blocks and the creation of 781 new homes.

We recently attended Edge Fest fun day, a festival of music, workshops ,activities and delicious food, aimed at bringing the community together. As part of our relationship with Westminster and residents of the estate, we ran workshops and a competition. We were keen to understand how the children would like to see their new play space so asked them to design a play space for themselves and their friends. The winning idea from Oliva, age 8 can be seen below.

“Our aim is to create a playful landscape: one that includes recognisable elements - tree houses, hammocks and climbing frames. but that also is an entire environment, one where planting, trees and layout all work together to make an engaging and escapist playground for children of all ages. The consultation carried out here will help to inform our design approach and we look forward to the next consultation events as we continue to speak to the Ebury community to hear their ideas about play and the design of the wider public spaces.”

Rory

Astudio’s Landscape Architect

One child named Henry, age 8, wanted the landscape design to be a miniature of Battersea park, where as Jenson, aged 11, thought more of the scheme from a practical point of view. He expressed his desire to become a structural engineer in the future which was apparent from his questions and design. Several children had water as part of their designs and included large expanses of trees and grassland. From a pictorial survey with the children, of what parts of the playground were most popular, climbing appeared the most favoured activity, closely followed by sliding, balancing and jumping. The hammocks were more popular amongst the adults where as the animal sculptures were more relatable to children under the age of 5. The children have been invited back to take part in future design sessions with Rory as we develop the scheme.