Community wildflower beds
Gillian Cairns
A community wildflower bed is a compact, easy-to-manage green space enhancement designed for housing developments that fosters biodiversity, supports pollinators, educates children, and encourages community stewardship through accessible features like a water trough and protective canopy.
Design Brief
Design an enhancement for areas of green space within a housing development that will enable nature to thrive whilst also being manageable by the community.
The design brief was to think global, act local and this design is an easy to establish local solution that can be utilised globally, where environmental conditions allow. Having explored my local area I wanted to meet the design brief by utilising the green space and changeable weather while also catering for a very varied demographic. Introducing wildflowers in a manageable space is a nature based solution that encourages people to take care of the local environment. It would also enable children to learn more about the care of wildlife and the importance of pollinators in the food chain, particularly the less friendly and loved bees.
Description of the Project
The features of the design include a shallow water trough placed directly below the lower bed which is replenished with water that has flowed from the beds. A removeable Perspex canopy protects everything from the worst of the weather. The design is intended to be used by small children as well as adults who can tend the flowers using the provided hand held gardening tools. It is therefore small enough for a child to reach, measuring 4ft tall by 4ft wide and a depth of 3ft.
About me
As a new designer I am experimenting with different tools and applications. I’m excited to develop as a designer and really enjoy sketching ideas and creating prototypes.