Natural Dimensions designed extensive grounds for Merstham Park School in Surrey, UK following a Department for Education template focused on low carbon technology and biophilic landscape principles. They prepared comprehensive tender documentation with full BIM coordination for the entire school grounds, along with a landscape management plan, the initial Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, and the landscape strategy for planning.
The school grounds were designed with the Department for Education’s goal to make greenspaces a key part of the school experience and to develop an eco-centric landscape based on biophilic design principles. This reflects natural systems, symbols, textures, and tones to promote psychological, physiological, and spiritual renewal, while also addressing current issues like climate change, flooding, biodiversity loss, and health challenges.
Within the progressive design geometry, the design elements propose urban nature and woodland, featuring specimen trees and structures to foster the interdependencies between humans, nature, and the outdoors within a teaching environment focused on student well-being, health, and fulfilling potential, all embedded within larger natural systems. The arrangement of the landscape and planting aims to embed the school into its surroundings, giving children a big nature hug whenever they are outside. The landscape strives to create a naturalistic environment through landform mounding and swales, extensive use of grasses, perennials, shrubs, and trees to offer a tapestry of colour, texture, and movement, with plantings reflecting natural rhythms and seasons. Various social and sub-spaces are enclosed by carefully selected plantings, which also surround the school to form a natural envelope with meadows, wetland scrapes, sensory arrival zones, entrance plazas, woodland, allotments, and an orchard. At the heart of the arrival experience is a memorial garden dedicated to a beloved former headmaster.
A large 2500m2 courtyard at the south of the school serves as the main social space and features an integrated canopy (which drains into planting beds), outdoor dining areas, casual meeting spots, a stage, extensive naturalistic planting beside the building, and mounded landform. The numerous trees near the building create a forest-like atmosphere for the school’s outdoor experience.
Merstham Park School
Client: McAvoy
Lanscape Architect: Natural Dimensions
Architect: Arkilab
Photography: Marianne Majerus