place

The lofty disused Victorian Chapel will house the new offices of TiigColl Architects. In West London, along a residential street the beautifully utilitarian chapel will be gently modified for its new purpose, while keeping its relationship with the buildings two street facades at either ends.

Brief

To create a veil of green encircling the old architecture, while reflecting the contemporary new vision of TiggColl Architects. With offices at one side and residential at the other. A series of intimate spaces will be made. The grotto entrance will welcome clients and colleagues alike. knowledgeably working with climbers to create a hanging garden.

Design

A grotto entrance clad in climbers, trailing and wafting a welcome. A discrete inset doorway shielded from the street. The narrow space encompassing the building offers a walled backdrop against which we will create a picture garden. Tall stems of bamboos and maple will stretch upwards finding the light, casting a play of shadows across the ochre lime wash of the textured brick walls. By making a model we could test different wall colours and plants types, designing three dimensionally, looking at the garden from within the building.

Two feature trees

The cherry tree has been chosen to complement the existing cherries that line the street. This one will be a winter-flowering cherry. Both the Cercis and Cherry will be sourced multi-stemmed, feathered to the ground and around 2.5 meters high. They might be potted or bare-rooted, depending on the time of year the garden will be installed. These small trees will be allowed to grow naturally into their spaces, with judicious pruning in autumn to encourage an umbrella-shaped canopy which is not too high. They are both small trees and will require little maintenance. Regular watering during summer months is vital to get them well established, and annual mulching around the base will help preserve water in the soil and give them nourishment.

Garden hedgerow

A combination of small shrubs have been picked for year-round interest. Shrubs will be sourced at 10 - 15 LTR pot size. All species are commonly used as hedging material, and non will over-grow the space. Our guild to pruning is to work with the plant to keep its natural form and encourage blossom. Not to over clip into balls, but allow the plant to fill its space. Cutting deciduous shrubs back in autumn and evergreen shrubs back in mid-summer. Being attentive to keep the easy passageway of the pavement clear of overhanging foliage. Regular watering during summer months and mulched once a year.

Bamboo and underplanting

The bamboos will be planted within root barriers up against the existing garden walls. The bamboo will be a mix of tall growing varieties, pruned to expose their stems with new shoots cut away, so the effect is of a light screen of foliage seen against the wall. The height of the bamboo will just top the wall and can be kept in check with autumn pruning.

Underplanting and pot planting will mostly be made up of shade loving evergreens. Clump forming non-invasive grasses and perennials. With tiny creeping small plants encouraged to spill over the planting edge. Putting to bed in winter with mulch and leaf clearing and waking up in spring by cutting back the ferns and raking out the old grasses.

Climbers

A combination of deciduous and evergreen climbers will be encouraged to grow over the entrance way of the studio. They will soften this corner of the building and be encouraged along the walls and to hang down, creating a partial screen across the recessed entrance. Regular and judicious pruning of the Parthenocissus and Wisteria will be required throughout the year to prevent tendrils reaching up to the roof and these vigorous climbers kept in check. The slower growing evergreen Hydrangea, Jasmin and Clematis will be allowed to climb the walls and up through the faster growing plants. Regular watering during summer months and mulched once a year.