In May 2023 WyrdTree teamed up with EDLA – Landscape Architects in order to assist with the visualisation aspect of their project, ‘The Orchard Farm’ in Kent.
The clients of this projects are Steenvlinder and Orchard Farms Kent Ltd.
The project won an award in the prestigious World Landscape Architecture Awards 2023.
In September 2023, the project was shortlisted in the ‘Excellence in Masterplanning and Urban Design’ category 2023.
The Orchard Farm project aimed to build Kent’s first sustainable self-build community with EDLA providing the landscape design and strategic advice.
It consisted of a collaborative effort between Urbanise, EDLA – Landscape Architects, Collective Urban Strategies and their two clients, proposing a landscape-first approach embedded in the project ethos.
The project proposes a variety of public spaces, such as parks, lanes, courtyards, and meadows.
The landscape masterplan treats the site as a meadow, with communal yards and amenities that families and residents can enjoy. The proposed open space provides access to green space for existing and growing communities while retaining and enhancing existing biodiversity. The landscape design includes flexible spaces that respond to the self-build mindset and provides amenities like seating, bike parking, and informal play spaces.
The planting will be influenced by the history of the site and locally grown produce. An orchard of native fruit trees will be created, along with native edible hedging and bat and bird boxes. The landscape design proposes high-quality materials that use recycled materials wherever possible.
Read more on EDLA Landscape Architects’ website.
Our team assisted with a set of two key visuals, communicating the atmosphere and the way in which the design integrates with the natural landscape.
One of the visuals depicts the orchard with its public spaces surrounded by transport lanes and self-build homes, while the other focuses on the more natural meadow around the existing lake.
