Project Centre contacted us to work on improving the area of Bell Corner in Dartford town, having been inspired by our work at St James’s Market (take a look here!). We also worked with Dartford Borough Council.
Size: 70m²
Biophilia
Social Impact
The brief was to design a living wall that would attract the community to the town centre; create a year-round point of interest with seasonal changes; create a biophilia-centred space; and increase the sustainable value of the location for better well-being.
For the design, we looked to the location and history of the site where we came up with the concept.
Dartford (Dart – Ford) is a town situated on the River Darrent. The Dartfordians enjoy the riverside on a daily basis at the Central Park which is just 5 minutes away from the location of the proposed living wall. This is what we’ve tried to replicate in our designs, with the source of the river beginning from the curved wall.
From there it blossoms into colourful flowers along the adjacent walls, distinguished with blue coloured plants including ‘Elijah Blue’ and ‘Vinca minor’. To contrast, the rest of the wall remains green with evergreen plants, creating a simple backdrop for the living art.
Pictured is the chart we created for Bell Corner, called a 'planting schedule' to ensure the finished planted wall will achieve the desired look with full plant cover throughout the year, and fulfill the purpose (eg. if biodiversity was also driver).
We also spoke to some of the locals who helped us form the designs. Their comments were very positive on the promise of a green wall:
“We come here almost everyday because it’s a small town we know most Dartfordians. It’s situated in the buzz of high street, but still very calm. The green wall will enhance this space and potentially attract more tourists.”
“Colourful flowers blooming, and greens will be a pleasing view and create a great ambience to socialize and relax.”
The modules for this project have now been planted and are establishing the nursery, ready to be installed when the site is ready.
