The Queen Elizabeth II Garden Achieves BREEAM Infrastructure Excellent

The Queen Elizabeth II Garden in The Regent's Park has been awarded BREEAM Infrastructure Excellent - the world's leading sustainability rating for civil engineering, landscaping and public realm projects.

This is a significant milestone, and one that recognises an approach to sustainability embedded in the project from the very beginning rather than applied at the end. Decisions around materials, waste, biodiversity and long-term environmental performance were considered throughout the design and construction of the garden.

At the heart of the project was a commitment to circular economy principles. Concrete from the former glasshouse structures was crushed on site and reused to create the specialist growing medium for the entire garden. Developed by Tim O'Hare in collaboration with The Royal Parks, the low-fertility soils were extensively trialled ahead of construction to ensure they provided the right conditions for the planting palette.

By reusing materials already available on site, the project diverted 99.98% of construction waste from landfill and achieved an estimated 80% reduction in embodied carbon compared with conventional construction methods.

The Queen Elizabeth II Garden transforms a former redundant plant nursery into a biodiverse, climate-resilient landscape in the heart of London. The planting, designed by renowned horticulturalist Dr Noel Kingsbury, includes many varieties with direct connections to Queen Elizabeth II while also responding to the challenges of a changing climate. New habitats, including wildflower meadows, wetland planting, a pond, hedgerows and more than 70 new trees, contributed to the project achieving a 184% net increase in biodiversity.

The project is believed to be the first public garden in the UK to use the BREEAM Infrastructure framework to guide sustainable outcomes throughout its design and construction.

Blakedown Landscapes is proud to have played its part in delivering a project that demonstrates how sustainable landscape construction can achieve outstanding environmental outcomes. Congratulations to The Royal Parks, HTA Design and the whole project team on this significant achievement. Particular recognition goes to Blakedown’s Jack Skinner, Bashkim Uka and Sam Elliott whose commitment and dedication throughout the project made this possible.

Images: Paul Upward Photography