Member award recognises role played by landscape

Anthony McGuigan (second from right) receives his award

Construction manager and chartered member Anthony McGuigan, a director with  The Paul Hogarth Company, received the highest accolade available to landscape architects at the Landscape Institute’s recent 90th anniversary awards in London.

The company’s What’s Growing on the Greenway project received both the President’s Award as well as the Award for Communications and Presentation.

The work demonstrated the role which the landscape can play in improving health and wellbeing, promoting sustainability and encouraging biodiversity.

What’s Growing On The Greenway was commended for developing a conversation between landscape architects and the community of East Belfast about the environment of the Connswater Community Greenway.

The Greenway itself is a new linear park which follows the course of the Connswater, Knock and Loop Rivers and connects East Belfast with over 12km of foot and cycle paths.

It creates an accessible parkland for leisure and community events and is a place for everyone to get a little closer to nature.

Adam White, president of the Landscape Institute said the project “takes a capital investment project to the next level”.

He added: “Anthony and Darren [McKinstry] from The Paul Hogarth Company came up with a truly innovative way to continue community engagement and foster further ownership once their project was opened to the public.”

What’s Growing On The Greenway has taken The Paul Hogarth Company, its client East Side Greenways and the community on a shared journey starting at the point where most projects end.

It used a number of communications techniques from social media to photo exhibitions and talks sustaining a meaningful conversation with local people over two years.

The process explored, tested and provided experiential learning for both the designers and the community about the connections between people, place and nature within this revitalised urban landscape.

The community’s feedback, views and photographs were collated into the blog and then a book to immortalise the developing link between local people and the nature that they encounter.

Daniel Cook, the Landscape Institute’s CEO, said: “What’s Growing On The Greenway epitomises our commitment to people, place and nature, and is a fantastic and worthy winner.”