2B has had a typically busy 25th birthday year! We've enjoyed reflecting on 25 projects that demonstrate the huge breadth and variety of the interesting work we do, and picking out those that were particularly fun or meaningful. It was hard to pick just 25, though...and to choose just one image and one paragraph for each!

This is the fourth of '5x5' blog posts, covering the 'Twenty-five at twenty-five' projects, to give a flavour of our quarter-of-a-century in practice - look out for the final one in the coming weeks.

Hull Uni Inglemire

2B designed a beautiful planting scheme for new University halls of residence. We are pleased with the result, but can’t help feeling sorry that the opportunity was missed to realise our vision for a sustainable drainage landscape. Had we been appointed to the job sooner, we could have saved the project £100k, or 1.5% of the construction budget (in addition to the water quality, biodiversity, amenities and flood alleviation benefits that good SuDS bring!)

See our blog to find out more, and remember to get your Landscape Architect in at the start of the project, we’re about so much more than the fluffy bits!










 

Champney Gardens

This heritage project, based in Beverley, was associated with the redevelopment of the Library and Treasure House. 2B was chosen to design the regeneration of the historic landscape, to accommodate wedding parties and provide recreation for visitors and residents of the town.

Decorative features were carefully designed in to set up views through the garden and create vistas that will provide an elegant backdrop for wedding photography. As part of the permeable paving system, an intricate pattern, with engraved stones, forms an analemmatic sundial as a feature point of the garden. The sundial was a first for the 2B team, making the project even more special.

 

Ash Green

This active travel project, for the area around a school in Halifax, is a project that 2B has been involved with from master planning through to detail.

The scheme will see roads closed to through traffic, wider pavements and roadside rain gardens, making an attractive environment to encourage walking and wheeling school journeys. The community has been involved and enthused, and a local charity will lead a community maintenance team.

At time of writing, the build has just started, and it’s fantastic to see the vision of Calderdale Council’s forward-thinking Transport team becoming a reality.









 

Sowerby Bridge

An exciting large scale master planning exercise for the town of Sowerby Bridge in Calderdale. We considered transport routes, and how to improve active travel options through this area of air quality concern.

Improvements to public space, and connections to the river and canal, were an important focus for the more detailed master plan spaces we developed in collaboration with the local community.












 

Sutton Primary School

A wonderful opportunity to showcase the benefit of consultation. Different areas of the design responded to suggestions made by the school community, including the pupils.

The masterplan provided a framework to ensure that all the ideas are developed within a considered context and come together to create a unique and functional space.