Chelsea Barracks
Chelsea Barracks has been the most highly anticipated new residential development of recent years. The development covering 12 acres of prime real estate in Belgravia celebrates London’s finest architectural tradition, with five acres of new gardens and public space.
The Project
- Value £1.16M
- Duration 12 Months
- Location Belgravia, London
- Architects Gustafson Porter
- Client Qatari Diar
- Main Contractor Mace
Key Features
- City living meets country estate
- Formal flower and vegetable garden
- Landscaped private gardens for town houses
- Mature trees and extensive planting
- Woodland themed walk
- Fruit trees to Mulberry Square
Key Stats
- 28,000Herbaceous plants and shrubs
- 2,360m³Imported soil and subsoil
- 30m²Planting density on some mixes
- 615lmInstant hedging
- 15,700Extra plants brought in for Chelsea Flower Show opening
Project Challenges
- Major project delay meant plants had to be maintained and potted on
- Access to the rear private gardens was very difficult
- Acceleration involving a lot of overtime required to achieve the revised end date
- Installation of high level irrigation pipework in the basement
- Very close working relationship with the hardworks contractor
- Highly complex planting mix arrangements
Chelsea Barracks
Chelsea Barracks has been the most highly anticipated new residential development of recent years. The development covering 12 acres of prime real estate in Belgravia celebrates London’s finest architectural tradition, with five acres of new gardens and public space.
Exceptional residences and townhouses have been designed around seven new garden squares which from day one, are bold and lively. Across all phases, the choice of materials and planting unifies the public realm providing a continuous identity, while the design and detailing of each space creates individual characters.
Phase 1 of this development saw us completing the soft landscaping to 3 key sections of open space and the private townhouse gardens. Mulberry Square, the 100m long culinary garden inspired by bright, striped paintings and England’s grand country estates, is planted with fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and flowers that can be used for cooking in the planned Michelin starred restaurant at the end of the space. The fragrant sanctuary that changes with the seasons forms the gateway to, and the main thoroughfare through, the estate.
Bourne Walk, the wildlife corridor running along the border of Chelsea Bridge Road, takes the established mature trees and added an underlayer of native flora to encourage wildlife to the area. Native shrubs providing food for wildlife will develop to form a natural screen along the boundary of the site.
Whistler Square brings the experience of a calm and discrete oasis inspired by the flow of the Thames. Large areas of paving are softened using a thoughtful combination of specimen trees and shrubs, formal clipped Buxus and informal herbaceous borders. The final space called Dove Place connects Chelsea Barracks to Pimlico Village, announcing the latter as an art and design enclave whilst bringing people into the development.
Major delays to the programme created issues for the plants which had all been contract grown. Stock had to be potted on to prevent it becoming pot bound. Completion of the first phase of works coincided with the Chelsea Flower Show. We worked with Gustafson Porter & Bowman and Jo Thompson to incorporate an overlay of additional colour, density and impact to the planting.
Chelsea Barracks Gallery
A look at the project through our photo and video gallery
