Bangor Garden

The Brief

This is a garden which should accomodate the following:

• Play areas for children (the owner runs a child minding business from home). The garden should be devided between hard and soft surfaces.
• The garden must also have an area which accomodates a dog run.
• The garden should retain the wooden house used by the children who are looked after on the premises and some of the play equipment.

The Rationale

I wanted this garden to be a place where children could play but without losing the sense that it is also a space that will be used by adults. It is important that each have their own areas, but that each area can be accessed by both children and adults.

I will retain an area of grass around the wooden play house which can be used by the children for play and which can accommodate their play equipment. This garden gives access to a large feature blackboard attached to the fenced area along the back of the garden. This fence would be cleaned and repainted with any damaged boards replaced. The blackboard would be an area where children could draw or where the owner could write the words for children’s songs that can be taught or even an ‘A, B, C’ area where the alphabet can be taught. Uses are many.

The grassed area will run up against a sand pit which can be accessed by the children.

Towards the rear, a raised semi circular area sited to make the most of afternoon and evening sun is fronted by circular raised planters and walls providing an ‘adult’ area to be used for outdoor entertaining and relaxing. The raised walls and planters along with their planting provide a semi sheltered area with a ‘Sail Shade’ providing cover on particularly hot days. The planting in these raised areas would only require watering and very little other care, their height also facilitates working at them whilst standing. Lower level paved areas provide a surface for children riding around on play vehicles and bikes.

I have left the oil tank in it’s original position. This tank is accessed by a passage along the side of the house and is located in a position which gives best access. Using the line of the fence which fronts the tank, I have carried on the fence but at a level which corresponds to the height of the raised planters and curved walls, this ensures that the eye is not drawn up and down along the line of the fence. Behind this fence is the dog run which also uses the new horizontally slatted boundry screen as part of the enclosure.  The boundry screen located along parts of 2 walls provides a contemporary backdrop to the seating/entertaining area.

Overall, the garden is low maintainance, it provides space for children to play and for adults to unwind. It is practical and contemporary which lends itself to family living as well as being a space which can cater for the commercial activity of childminding.