C4.1 Milton Keynes

Rooftop Gardens

C4.1 Milton Keynes also know as as Abbeygate Vizion is a roof terrace in excess of 8000m² and has been a major unique selling point to the client for the 307 apartments in this development in the centre of Milton Keynes.

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The Project

Value £1.35M
Duration 18 Months
Location Central Milton Keynes
Architects Quartet Design
Client Abbeygate Development
Main Contractor Bam Construction

Key Features

Communal roof gardens for residents
Ground floor public realm
Large water feature
Automatic irrigation system
Large semi mature trees
Kitchen Garden

Key Stats

8,000m²
Landscaping
288
Semi mature trees up to 30-35cm girth
16,700
Plants and bulbs
3,551m³
Substrate, topsoil and polystyrene fill
3,233m²
Paving
1,857m²
Turf

Project Challenges

Design and installation of water wall
Inclusion of lighting
Works phased as areas released to us
Limited space for the ground floor works
Resident liaison through the maintenance period

C4.1 Milton Keynes

Rooftop Gardens

Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd originally built the garden and now we maintain both the soft and hard landscaping. The garden is situated above a supermarket which adds its own challenges, especially regarding access onto the roof. All maintenance equipment, materials, man power and green waste removals are though the service lift. All operations have to be pre-planned to ensure that any equipment can gain access and that the removal of the waste is possible.

The grounds maintenance service consists of a lawn care programme including fertilisation, scarification, aeration, mowing and broadleaf weed control. The lawns are regularly edged to produce sharp straight lines, in keeping with the original design concept.

There is a combination of herbaceous, annual and permanent shrub beds which are tended to weekly. The original design included a herb garden for the residents to use, which has become very popular and requires close attention to keep tidy. There are two changes of bedding plants annually of winter pansies and summer geraniums.

The pond and water feature is maintained by Frosts as well. This maintenance involves weekly cleansing of any debris as well as regular bromine applications to ensure the clarity of the water.

During the summer the garden is very popular with the residents, using the sun trap for sunbathing and socialising. This brings with it its own problems; usually litter and debris on the pond, trampled beds and extra wear on the lawns. To be able to deal with this quickly we have changed visit days to the beginning of the week so that any titivation can take place before the residents stir on a Monday morning.

In 2016 a 20ft Norway Spruce decorated with lights was installed in the roof garden having been lifted up the outside of the building.