Structured informality - design for health and well-being

At a function last night I was asked about which commission I was most proud of. In the 20 years of designing gardens and interiors, I'd never been asked that before. I gave it some thought and decided to tell her about a school grounds design I'd done. It is my favourite.

It was a completely derelict part of the grounds, a small area just 7m x 20m, but which was immediately adjacent to classrooms and the main playground. It had potential.

As someone who lives a fairly informal, while structured, lifestyle, I appreciate opportunities to relax, and like to design them into my plans. My school grounds needed seating. In fact 6 different types were incorporated into the space.

Knowing the boundaries in life is important, so I like to design spaces that flow easily to each other yet are distinct. Borders, hedges, screens, changes in ground surfacing & changes in level all combine to delineate areas. Knowing how to break the boundaries is also important so spaces are flexible, enabling one are to 'become' another.

The particular garden I was describing was terraced, both to provide interest and make the slight slope more usable. It was further sub-divided by an emergency access path which runs down on side. To one side of the path I built raised bed vegetable gardens, to the other side grassed play and study space.

The whole space sensory garden is accessed through a living willow tunnel, which opens into a lawn with story telling seat set into a shrub and herbaceous border. Beyond the story telling area is a casual wildlife area with bird feeders, hedgehog house, log piles and a bat box, a table to work at and another living willow structure - this time a dome.

Step up to the top level onto bark chippings and a outdoor theatre with natural log seating. Evergreen and fruiting vines and espaliered apples grow over the outdoor classroom structure. Completing the sensory space is a magnificent view out over the valley, enhanced by carefully trimmed trees.

The whole space is enjoyed by the school, and by the community when they are welcomed in to outdoor theratre and musical performances. Abundant, bio-diverse planting has brought an increased variety and increased umbers of birds into the area. Insect life is healthy as the school composts food scraps and add them once ready as mulch. The mulch helps keep weeds down and importantly, retains moisture so over hot summer holidays, as we are experiencing now,  the plants survive on their own.

The garden has been in a couple of years now and is really starting to mature.

looking back through the living willow archway to the newly painted sustainable play house

the story telling seat, fish pond in a barrel and bird feeder

fan trained fruit trees allow big fruit in small spaces