News
Last week Meristem installed three Parklets on St Mary’s Axe, in the City of London, as part of the Active City Network initiative by the City of London Corporation.
The aim of the initiative is to utilise pedestrianisation and green infrastructure in urban design to create cleaner, safer, and more pleasant public spaces for the 513,000 workers in the city to enjoy - with a view to encouraging a healthier and more active lifestyle.
The classic K6 BT box, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom from 1926.
In 2006 the K2 telephone box was voted one of Britain's top 10 design icons along with another red favourite, the Routemaster bus. Due to a significant drop in their use since and the invention of the mobile phones the classic red BT telephone kiosks are unloved, unused and unfortunately being removed or sold into private use throughout the UK.
However there are still some left on our streets - we have repainted and greened up 2 of them. With a fresh splash of BT red paint we have added a steel planter, 2 large Trachelospermum, jasminoides, Vinca minor, Hedera helix and muehlenbeckia to two telephone boxes in Archway, Islington.
This week we launched 4 of our new community Parklets on Hammersmith Grove, 2 of them even had 3m high Green Pergolas.
Combining trees and plants with wooden benches and cycle parking, these 4 10m by 2.5m Parklets are designed to encourage cycling, improve air quality and make the street greener for residents, shoppers and businesses. They’re also part of a borough-wide plan to support and encourage biodiversity in the area.
Come and see our latest living wall project at Borough Market.
This living wall is part of Better Bankside’s Urban Greening and Placemaking Initiatives which aim to improve the public realm in the local area.
The wall helps to reclaim a grey and unused space in the one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, as well as acting as a natural air filter.
We removed a section of a living wall that was struggling and added 82 plants to the main wall to give it a new lease of life. The existing plants were covered in dust and pollution particulates which all had to be cleaned.
We planted a combination of convolvulus arvensis, erysimum (‘Bowles’s Mauve), liriope muscaris, asplenium scolopendrium, polystichum tsus-simense and alpine flowering plants, including gypsophila and dianthus freynii. These were put in to complement the existing scheme of sarcococca ruscifolia, hedera (ivy) and fatsia japonica.
The project challenges included safely carrying out the works at a height of 6m next to a busy pub and in an area with high footfall.
We are very pleased by the outcome and looking forward to it thriving in the months ahead.
Our latest project added a little bit of greenery right in heart of Covent Garden. The brief was to come up with a wall mounted planter design that would fit in with current aesthetic and feel of Neal's Yard.
We designed bespoke corten planters with iroko trellis' to create a naturally weathered look. Jasminoides trachelospermum was chosen to climb the trellis because of its scent, white flowers and year round interest. Carex and delicate white flowering vinca minor were also used to compliment the jasmine.
Marleybone is one of London's newest Low Emission Network and as part of it's 3 year plan they intend to install a number of Parklet across their neighbourhood to encourage a model shift from cars to pedestrians and to make the streets more welcoming to visitors and locals.
In order to test out the concept they approached Meristem to install one of our Parklet on Car Free Day on the 22nd September. The feedback we received from residents and students at the University of Westminster during the trial was overwhelmingly positive.
Hear what some of the residents and local business owners think of Meristem Design's recently installed Parklet, in Hackney. The scheme is part of the ZEN and LEN schemes, sponsored by Tower Hamlets, Islington and Hackney councils as well as The Mayor of London.
