“As a planning consultant, working with PAD is brilliant. They understand how to correctly approach the planning process, they know how to speak the same language as planning and design officers, and they are quick to respond. On top of all that they also design fantastic landscapes, which makes it all so much easier! ” — Alasdair Buckle, DP9 Ltd - PLANNING CONSULTANTS

“Phil and his team came on board on our project at the eleventh hour and through dedication and energy expedited a fully coordinated roof terrace and reception design package in double quick time. They have the skill in finding a balance between listening to the client’s needs, while still challenging them, and ultimately designing an enhanced scheme. We look forward to seeing the superb designs come to life now, and hopefully working again with PAD in the future”

— Jack Pugh, Savills - PROJECT MANAGER

Minimum energy efficiency standards are one reason why building owners and practices are making more of refurbs – and being creative about how to do it.

PAD was invited to prepare designs for the retrofit of a major office building (90,000 ft2) located next to St. Paul’s Cathedral - 95 Queen Victoria Street, now known as the Selso building. The approach to the design rethinks the building into more a sociable, flexible, and biophilic working environment.

The project will be a sustainability-led refurbishment, with the designs retaining the original envelope and structure of the building and significantly improving operational energy performance. Importantly, the more critical metric of operational energy is being targeted to boost the EPC.

Our first challenge was to re-imagine what a vast metallic roof could become for the occupiers of the building and how much we could transform their everyday working lives. The roof has, without any doubt, the most incredible panoramic views across London and yet this great asset was entirely inaccessible for people to enjoy.

Our work started with exploring how we could create an immersive garden on the roof, one that was different to the many roof gardens in London which are mostly flat, exposed and more than just a little ordinary.

First, we carefully modelled the critical St. Paul’s view corridor which sits directly above the roof. From this we tested and examined numerous different design approaches that would create impact in the garden without compromising the strategic sight lines of the world-famous building from across the Capital.

Once modelled, we then assessed key views to landmarks and then sub-divided the roof into different areas for thematic and programming elements.

A key influence in the design was creating a series of folded planes in the garden that linked to the interior design of the building, creating a consistent design language inside and out.

The scheme provides the following:

• 300m2 new roof garden

• Handmade bespoke folded panelled planters

• 40m2 internal garden

“The world is loud but this is nice and quiet” - Aryan Minhas, aged 6 - LOCAL RESIDENT

“The public realm is THE centrepiece for the hotel and community at Ufford Street, Southwark”- Dexter Moren Associates, Architects

“PAD landscapes provide an exceptional design service. They have a genuine skill in interpreting and listening to our needs and translating this into work that is both striking and enduring. Having them on board is a real asset to our projects.” - Simon Casey, Senior Development Manager, Frogmore Real Estate - CLIENT

“I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside PAD landscapes on a number of schemes. Their contribution to projects is both ingenious and exemplary.” - Paul Wells, Partner - ARCHITECT

“New Marlborough Yard is a scheme which challenges perceptions about what branded budget hotels like Premier Inn look like and contribute in central London. With our partners, we were bold, we created a fantastic design which was a vital aspect of our discussions with local planners, and we galvanised a committed development team around a shared ambition to deliver something outstanding”. New London Architecture awards

• 1,600m2 of public realm created

• 33 large trees planted

• 212m2 new pocket park

• 350m2 new streetscape

• Converted from a brownfield site

PAD has delivered an outstanding piece of contemporary public realm in the heart of Waterloo. The scheme consists of a shared hardscape, pocket garden and extensive planting.

Nestled between Waterloo Station and Tate Modern, in the heart of the London Borough of Southwark, the hotel includes the re-instatement of the lost Marlborough Street. This historic grain is expressed in the patterning within the public realm and is designed in the spirit of other ‘discoverable’ courtyards such as Ham Yard, St Christopher’s Place and Shepherd Market.

The pocket park integrates seating, sculpture and rich planting to offer respite and a sense of place within the hubbub of city life. A hugely diverse variety of tree species provide biodiversity, shade and creates a calm urban retreat for the community in Southwark. A richly planted scheme and a mosaic of wildflower and sedum green roofs provides a network of habitats for wildlife.

The project is part of a new 9,141 m2, 274 key hotel converted from brownfield land. We were appointed to take forward a design originally conceived by Andy Sturgeons, into a complete delivered package of works. Mark Wood, Architect at DMA says “The scheme is a thoughtful and outward looking development that is respectful to its context and neighbours, as well as creating a beautiful pocket park that invites locals and hotel guests alike to meander through the re-instated roadway and spend time in the restaurant and courtyard.”

Despite being executed during lockdowns from Covid measures, remarkably the project was completed on time and on budget.

Client: Frogmore Real Estate

Status: Completed summer 2021

Service: Full site construction role, management and maintenance

“PAD are such a pleasure to work with. They’re very talented, professional, fun to work with, and produced an outstanding landscape design which was loved by both the client, the planners and our team.” - Robert Bochel, Director, Squire + Partners - ARCHITECTS

“PAD landscapes have constant enthusiasm and energy and have achieved a remarkable style of design that integrates landscape and architecture seamlessly” - Christopher McCue, Director, CARR - ARCHITECTS

• Huge gardens over the Thames

• 13,000 sq ft of roof gardens and private terraces (1,200m2)

• 5,500 sq ft communal gardens

• Net Zero Carbon construction & operation

• BREEAM Outstanding

• NABERS 5 Star rating

• WIREDSCORE Platinum

• WELL Platinum

PAD were invited by LBS Properties to create a new public realm and a unique expansive set of roof gardens and terraces for an exceptional development on the Thames.

The new £69m Net Zero development at 135 Park Street, London, creates a series of external spaces of the highest quality. It is situated near Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern, and the development extends the cultural regeneration of Bankside eastwards.

135 Park Street in Southwark was granted planning consent in December 2019. The new mixed use development extends the cultural regeneration of Bankside eastwards, drawing activity from Tate Modern and the Globe Theatre.

The workspace-led building references the industrial warehouse vernacular of Bankside with gardens that are designed to be wild and as biodiverse as possible to create a unique experience for people.

Enhancements to public realm include a new courtyard at neighbouring 133 Park Street, providing additional landscaped public space. Natural granite paving is combined with planting of grasses, trees and native plants to enhance biodiversity and create an attractive environment for the local business and residential community.

PROJECT TEAM

Client: LBS Properties and Barings

Architect: Squire and Partners

Project Manager: Colliers International

“PAD landscapes work is based on a very comprehensive understanding of good design, brief and budget. Their refreshing approach has driven true value across our portfolio” - Gardiner - PROJECT MANAGERS

“The best roof garden in London” - The Crown Estate

PAD has created a truly exceptional garden on a roof in the heart of the St. James Conservation Area, for our Client M&G, assisted by Oxygen Asset Management, and an outstanding team and contractor.

Working in close collaboration with Chapman Architects, PAD developed an initial design to create an award-winning new roof garden of unparalleled quality and finish.

The client was committed to extending the life of this wonderful building and the landscape proposals focus on creating a series of garden layers through which visitors access nature, to enhance individual and collective wellbeing.

The design process blended vision, technical precision, and a deep understanding of the city’s architectural and environmental context. Balancing heritage and modernity, PAD designed the garden to frame iconic skyline views, while creating intimate green spaces that offer a retreat from the pace of city life.

Technical expertise was crucial. Weight loading, drainage, waterproofing, and wind exposure were all carefully considered from the earliest design stages, to create a beautiful yet robust and easily maintainable landscape.

Planting design was key to the garden’s sense of place. A successful London roof garden uses a carefully selected palette of plants that thrive in the city’s microclimate – PAD set about combining year-round structure with seasonal drama. Layered planting provides biodiversity benefits and softens the space, while smart irrigation and bespoke soil systems support resilience during dry periods.

High-quality materials and detailing elevated the project further. Bespoke planters, crafted furniture, and tailored lighting create a cohesive, polished finish, while sustainable choices – from locally sourced materials to pollinator-friendly planting – ensure the garden contributes positively to its environment.

The result is more than just an outdoor space – it is a bio-diverse garden in the sky, a seamless extension of the building’s architecture, and a new green landmark that enriches both its users and the wider cityscape.

“Working with PAD landscaes is a breath of fresh air. Their creativity, enthusiasm and attention to detail is second to none. We have found them invaluable during the design process. Their services genuinely add value to our projects and they are a pleasure to work with. ” - Crosstree Real Estate - CLIENT

“The best hotel in London. A verdant landscape with beautifully designed terraces, reclaimed materials and lush green living walls, emphasis the hotel’s dedication to bringing the outdoors inside." - Condé Nast Traveller

2025 RIBA London Awards: shortlist
2024 London Planning Award winner
2024 New London Awards - shortlist

• Europe’s first One Hotel

• An acclaimed sustainable hotel

• 450m2 of new public realm

• Over two thousand plants

• £58m mixed-use for Mayfair

1 Hotel Mayfair: The Metabolic Retrofit

Luxury as a Living System

In the heart of Mayfair - a district defined by stone, heritage, and the high artifice of the Ritz - stands a gentle rebellion to the norm. Europe’s first 1 Hotel Mayfair, together with new office and mixed-commercial space, the project aims beyond a designed public realm and buildings, but as a metabolic retrofit. With this project, PAD landscapes took the mission-driven 1 Hotels brand and asked a singular question: Can the redevelopment of a highly dense brownfield site function as a carbon-sequestering, biodiversity-hosting, living, breathing organism?

The Architectural graft: Retention as Radicalism

Sustainability is often framed as new tech, but here it began with the act of restraint. By retaining 90% of the existing structure and facade, we treated the building as a found object. This conscious decision to avoid the wrecking ball saved embodied carbon, allowing us to focus on grafting a botanical façade (a biophilic skin) onto a mid-century skeleton. Rather than build a hotel; we re-animated a redundant object.

Spatial moves: From Tarmac to Landscape

The project’s most transformative work lies at the ground plane. We reclaimed a busy and inhospitable car park and inverted its purpose into an accessible, public realm ‘sponge’.

The Courtyard Intervention: We dissolved the barrier between public and private. What was once an unsafe cut-through is now a vibrant, publicly accessible garden courtyard. Reclaimed stone in odd sizes creates a moment of sensory deceleration for Mayfair, providing a localised pause effect and a psychological break from the high-decibel hum of London’s traffic surrounding all sides. Underneath the patchwork of old stone, sits a sponge city approach with urban water retention as part of a holistic resilience strategy. Different strata provide a range of purposes: the top layer – filtration, the 2nd layer plugs into the public realm planting via capillary action, followed by a 3rd layer for longer-term year-round water storage.

The Vertical Forest: We created a customised biophilic skin of over 1,000m². The botanical façade is not a green wall product; it is a bespoke designed hydroponic Sud’s vertical garden. This vertical planting turned the old, retained facade into a biological filter, connecting blue roof up top, via the bespoke hydroponic system, This designed system includes layers of recycled denim felt material, grit and plant roots to slow stormwater, filter and clean, before it is finally directed to the water retention system below. Whilst alleviating thermal loading to the hotel façade, the vertical garden acts as a waypoint for pollinators navigating the corridor between Green Park and the city’s richly planter residential squares.

Interior Biophilia: The Raw and the Refined

To continue these principles, the design logic flows from the roof gardens, façade and public realm into the hotel and commercial space’s marrow. We resisted the call for a synthetic luxury in favour of a more primordial materiality.

The London Oak: The reception desk works like a piece of furniture but is a raw segment of a naturally felled oak (Quercus petraea), and a tactile connection to this native species to all who enter the building.

The Green Lung: a large collection of over 4,000 indoor plants were hand selected. The criteria being for filtering harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Species include Chrysanthemum morifolium, Chamaedorea seifrizii and Chlorophytum comosum. Along hallways connecting bedrooms, nighttime oxygenating plants were selected including Aloe barbadensis, and Dracaena trifasciata.

The Biological Chandelier: A finishing touch is hovering above the lobby: a huge living moss installation, for which Tillandsia usneoides was selected. As an atmospheric epiphyte, the species lacks a root system and its entire physiology is fine-tuned to "sample" the surrounding environment, making it a powerful biomonitior for air quality.

Technical Ecology: The Numbers of the Living

Our intervention scales from the street level to the sky, creating a multi-layered ecological stack:

1,000m² of Ecological Roof Gardens:  dedicated to local biodiversity, they provide refuge for invertebrates and birdlife in response to the Local Authority's Biodiversity Action Plan target species.

19,000 plants of Botanical Façade: a vertical garden and filtration system.

700m² of Accessible Terraces: Spaces where the human guest becomes a secondary participant in the immersive landscape, surrounded by species selected for their wide floristic range.

450m² of New Public Realm: A ‘gift’ of green space given back to the city, proving that dense urban redevelopment can - and must - enhance the public realm and perform as much as it appears.

The Conclusion: A New Standard of "Prime"

1 Hotel has moved Mayfair beyond the era of the historic manicured garden and represents a shift toward a true performative landscape. We have aimed to demonstrate that the most prestigious real estate in London can be reclaimed for nature, turning a static building into a breathing, growing, and evolving part of the urban fabric.

Client: Cross Tree Real Estate

Status: Completed Q1 2023

Service: Complete from RIBA 1 Feasibility through to RIBA 6, including Concept design, Technical design, Construction scope, Handover, Management and Maintenance.

“From department store to destination living, PAD landscapes has created an exceptional green oasis to this iconic building next to Hyde Park” - Finchatton, Client.

PAD landscapes has created a remarkable public courtyard at the centre of The Whiteley London. Introducing a new chapter for this historic building, the garden is defined by the principles of modern luxury, creating a green oasis to this iconic landmark.

PAD landscapes are specialist designers creating healthy and biophilic environments of prestige and distinction. We pride ourselves on working closely with our distinguished Clients to create exceptional environments.

With its proximity to Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, this part of West London is recognized for its streets lined with grand terraces of white stucco houses and garden squares. Among them is an iconic building and former department store – Whiteleys – now home to the 1st Six Senses in the UK.

The building has been carefully restored by Foster + Partners and combines a nostalgic nod to classical detailing and art deco along with modern streamlining. The new garden courtyard was designed to create a series of beautiful garden rooms within the courtyard - aligning with the Six Senses brand philosophy of connection to people and nature.

“The project was a wonderful opportunity to pay homage to the heritage of this iconic building and to bring our studio values to life in this part of the city.” Phil Allen

The Whiteley redevelopment has revitalised a historic landmark, blending heritage preservation with modern luxury living. The project has redefined the northern end of Queensway, contributing to the area's regeneration and offering a unique destination for residents and visitors alike. PAD landscapes comprehensive consultancy service ensured the successful delivery of a complex, high-profile garden to the heart of this major development, that honours the building's legacy while meeting contemporary lifestyle needs.

“An absolute stand-out exemplar of sustainable development, urban greening and wellbeing ” - Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea

“Working with Phil Allen Design is a breath of fresh air. Their creativity, enthusiasm and attention to detail is second to none. We have found them invaluable during the design process. Their services genuinely add value to our projects and they are a pleasure to work with ” - Crosstree Client

• Award-winning landscape design

• 650m2 of vertical gardens

• 15,000 plants

• Over 200 different species

• 7 new trees planted

Rethinking the future of the retail high street experience, One Twenty King’s Road provides a forward-thinking blend of integrated biodiversity via our Botanical Facade design, intelligently designed workspace, vibrant street-level retail, and dynamic leisure spaces across seven storeys. 

Construction has been completed of our iconic mixed-use development on 120 Kings Walk in Chelsea. The scheme consists of public realm, streetscape, vertical planting and roof gardens as part of the the redevelopment of the old King’s Walk shopping centre.

The scheme showcases an exemplar of post-pandemic retail and office space, with a building significantly enhancing biodiversity and retaining almost 70% of the existing structure, providing a carbon saving of 36%.

Our design greatly increases biodiversity, helps improve air quality, captures carbon and provides a much-improved outlook for this world-famous part of Chelsea.

The building sits on a prominent and historic axis connecting the site to Chelsea Hospital via Royal Avenue. The landscape aspiration was to create a planting-led scheme across the building influenced by this green link, and creating important wildlife habitat and much needed plant life to this highly urbanised part of the London.

The vision showcases the very best of native and ornamental plants both across roof gardens and building facades.

Using our own in-house Environmental Biometrics Data (EBD) we are able to clearly explain the environmental, wildlife and biodiversity benefits of the landscape scheme to Council and Stakeholders. A unanimous approval at planning was achieved through the following environmental benefits:

• Total urban greening area (vertical + roof gardens combined): 725m2, (equivalent to over 1 full-sized tennis court of plants).

• Pollution guzzling plants: the proposed planting will extract up to 2.7 tonnes of CO2 every year from Kensington.

• The roof gardens and living walls will also reduce heat-island effect in the city. On average this will mean a 3°C reduction locally.

• The extensive number of plants will produce lots of fresh, clean air. Kings Walk gardens will provide more than 7.1 tonnes of oxygen each year to the neighbourhood.

PROJECT TEAM

Client: Crosstree

Architect: Squire and Partners

Status: Completed 2023

Service: Full service - Concept to Completion

“Without doubt one of the capital’s best roof gardens” - Forbes Magazine

“The gardens are stylish, whimsical and fun” - The Telegraph Newspaper

“A special nature-themed hotel” - SH Hotels - operator

“The Treehouse gardens are one that we will never forget” - Conde Naste

“Treehouse London makes the case for the capital’s very best hotel” - The Evening Standard

• Over 2,000 plants

• 21 new trees

• 230m2 landscaped terraces

• 38m2 bespoke vertical garden

PAD landscapes have completed the design and delivery of the world’s first Treehouse Hotel, a new brand from the world leading innovative hotel operator SH Hotels.

Located at 14-15 Langham Place, London, Treehouse Hotel was founded on the ideas that inspire a child to build a treehouse. Adventure, independence, cozy spaces and repurposing things. Inspired by nature, the landscape proposals thread over and inside the building to create a series of beautiful gardens and hideaways.

Situated next to the BBC and All Soul’s Church, Langham Place, Treehouse has been designed to capture the beauty of plants in a hotel. The landscape scheme consists of new public realm, two 16th floor panoramic garden terraces, internal and external living walls, kokedama garden and more.

Treehouse focuses on preservation. The hotel has developed a composting and recycling programme, there’s reclaimed wood throughout, water-refill stations, edible living walls, and an emphasis on locally-sourced produce. The hotel advises guests in how to be more mindful of waste and to live a more environmentally friendly life.

Client: Cairn Property Group

Service: Full RIBA service: Concept to Completion

Status: Launched 2019

“PAD has created a unique Vertical Forest of over 100 trees, in the City of London”

“A benchmark for what the modern workplace can offer, and a true destination for local residents, workers and visitors alike.” - Landsec

“A living, breathing building, with a vertical forest of over 100 trees and a significant public realm reimagined ” - PAD

PAD were invited by Landsec to develop a new exceptional mixed-use office development including Shoe Lane Library in the City of London. Their key brief was to “really challenge the convention of what an office-led, mixed-use development should look like in the future”.

As part of a vision to create a sustainable and healthy workplace for the future, each floor will have access to bespoke garden terraces, carefully designed to programme a range of activities for users, and all connected by a unique vertical forest. The curated planting scheme works as a living, breathing building, with interconnected plant communities throughout.

A vibrant reimagined public realm includes a palimpsest design within the paving denoting the heritage of the site in a creative way. Sculptural bench seats representing the peeling layers of history surrounding sunken woodland gardens form a distinct design language which reinforces local character and placemaking.

The public realm extends the new and improved home for Shoe Lane Library, providing a range of spaces and pockets for the community. The library will face the improved Gunpower Square - providing better usability, identity and access to quality public realm.

At the top of the building, a rooftop restaurant and a cultural events space with extensive landscaped terraces will offer stunning views over London and add to the City’s growing network of destinations.

Visuals: Designed by PAD. Image copyright of WAX Architectural Visualizations.

“PAD creates a brand new 800m2 public garden for the community of Kensington and Chelsea”

“PAD provided an exceptional design service. Having them on board is a real asset to our projects.” - Simon Casey, Frogmore Real Estate - CLIENT

“A lovely verdant and welcoming garden for our community”

“PAD has passion and design talent sufficient for me to strongly recommend them where exceptional landscape design is required.” - Dexter Moren, Director of Moren Associates - ARCHITECTS

• New 750sqm public roof garden

• 100 new trees for RBKC

• Biodiversity Net Gain of 56%

• High Urban Greening Factor 0.41

• Part of a £130m regen project.

• 1,732m2 of new planting, nearly the size of Sloane Sq of 1,890m2

Climate change and urban greening are bringing flat roofs into the development spotlight. We’re now aware of the important role roofs have in mitigating issues of biodiversity loss, stormwater management, urban greening, and urban heat effects. But what do roofs mean for people and what role could they provide to our communities?

Urban roofs are often hidden places, but at the same time they open up expansive views over the city. This provides an interesting experience - it can feel like a secret discovery when arriving up top but then the surprise of huge open views. These views then add a reflective quality. A place of contemplation.

So the urban sanctuary is a fitting design approach for the roof garden of Hilton Olympia. An elevated space oblivious to the issues below. A place for people to come together, for reflection, for seclusion, and for freedom.

But do we really want a lot of landscape architecture on roofs? To express this discovery, this freedom, perhaps the best roof garden design does not look ‘designed’ at all. It is not rigid or forced, it appears natural and wild. A Natural Urban Sanctuary.

“A future-ready landscape, providing an abundance of biodiversity, mosaic of habitats for urban ecology, rain gardens and many other nature based solutions”

• New climate-resilient public realm

• 100 new trees for Southwark

• Public access to 1/3 of the ground

• 1,200m2 of new public realm

• From a derelict brownfield site

The basis for this project is that the greenest building is the one that already exists. In response to concerns by local residents of a deferred application on two sites in Bermondsey adjacent the Shard, PAD were invited as part of a new team for a new a new scheme from an exciting partnership between Aviva Investors and Sellars.

The local Community, Southwark Council and the GLA feedback were clear in demanding the highest quality of design, public realm and green space, as part of the gentle redevelopment of the site.

PAD were appointed from the outset of the project at RIBA 1 to envision high-quality new public realm, a modern reinterpretation of an historic yard, and a series of elevated urban garden set across a remarkble mixed-use development.

The new highly innovative scheme consists of the refurbishment and extension of two historic warehouses into contemporary mixed-use environments entirely infused with wellbeing, community and biophilia.

A new yard, accessible to the public, will re-instate the historic White Lion Court and offer a pedestrian route through the heart of the scheme and forming a bridge connecting the Shard, with St. Thomas Street East Framework with Bermondsey High Street and the Low Line. Remarkably, nearly one third of the site will be publicly accessible space, helping to stitch the scheme back into the urban fabric.

The public realm is inspired by the rich heritage of the site and the layering of time and materials found in the local area, forming a key asset to the scheme.

The planting has been carefully tailored to build upon and enhance local biodiversity and provide valuable habitats for insect, bat and bird species.

The new scheme makes the best use of an underutilised brownfield site, to creat a BREEAM Outstanding development with significant biodiversity net gain and exceptional public realm.

The new scheme works for the local community, and is both sympathetic to the unique history of the local area, as well as a flagship development in terms of environmental performance.

The proposals would deliver approximately 10,739 sq.m. of affordable office floorspace and 713 sq.m. of retail and restaurant floorspace over two interconnected sites.

The scheme provides the following:

• A brand new public realm consisting of mature tree planting, public art and seating, including a new public garden.

• A new publicly accessible yard with heritage inspired design celebrating our local community.

• A big and open ground floor - combined, the proposed public realm and yard will provide nearly one third of the whole site area as publicly access space (592m - that’s over two tennis courts in area for people to enjoy, just off Bermondsey Street).

• Bespoke ecologically-led planting and consisting of native wildflowers, colourful herbaceous perennials and shrub planting for wildlife habitat.

• 100 new trees, including 21 large trees in the public realm and streets, with a further 79 small trees up on the roof garden and terraces, making an exceptionally green, healthy and biophilic environment.

Client: Bermondsey Yards Limited Partnership

Status: In planning

Service: Full scope of services from Concept to Construction, management and maintenance.

A heritage-inspired new piazza in the City of London, designed for the local community and celebrating the rich history of this truly unique site.

“This is one of the finest post-war classical buildings in London and we are delighted that its future looks set to be secured with this sympathetic conservation-led scheme.” - Catherine Croft, Director of The Twentieth Century Society

• Bold new public realm in the City

• Unique heritage-inspired design

• 1,250m2 of new public realm

• 22 semi-mature trees

• 250m2 ecological roof gardens

Phil Allen Design has won planning approval to develop a new piazza-style public realm in the City of London, as part of the conversion of an old Grade II* listed police station. The vacant building is being decommissioned and gently refurbished into a new five-star hotel.

PAD’s deeply researched and richly detailed heritage-inspired design of the design of the scheme has won praise from influential heritage bodies.

Catherine Croft, director of the Twentieth Century Society, said: “This is one of the finest post-war classical buildings in London and the only listed post-war police station in the country. We are delighted that its future looks set to be secured with this sympathetic conservation-led scheme.”

Phil Allen, Director, PAD, says “this is a richly-detailed, yet sympathetic design that secures a challenging planning consent. This important building can now have an exciting future, with a public realm destination that celebrates the rich heritage of the site and creates opportunities for the public to enjoy using it”.

Informed by historical analysis and consultation with Historic England and the City of London’s design and conservation department, PAD’s approved scheme is an imaginative new public realm that directly references it’s important historic setting. The new public realm will be an invitation for the public to engage with a brand new place, bring heritage, design and planting expertise to a new corner of London.

Situated approximately halfway between the popular tourist destinations of the Barbican/Museum of London and the Guildhall, the new hotel will help realise the City of London Corporation’s vision of the City as a 24/7 destination, helping to meet a growing demand from workers, tourists and residents for overnight accommodation in the Square Mile.

In keeping with the City of London’s Local Plan, which requires new developments and refurbishments to include public realm to both improve the environment and make the City a more attractive, dynamic, inclusive and visually desirable business location, PAD’s proposal will add a huge vibrancy to the area. Once described as a Police Station disguised as a Venetian Palazzo, the scheme will see the creation of a vibrant active public space – a ‘piazza for the palazzo’ – that will improve the heritage setting of the Wood Street station and other nearby heritage assets.

The scheme will start on site in 2024.

Client: Magnificent Hotel Investments

Status: Planning approved.

Service: Full RIBA design work stages

Phil Allen Design have been invited to prepare landscape proposals for a new mixed-use scheme on the border between Notting Hill Gate and Holland Park, London.

The proposals will provide a package of landscape enhancements. That includes new roof gardens, living walls, streetscape enhancements and soft landscaping; and consisting of:

• 500m2 of cascading sedum and wildflower roof gardens, interlinked by gravity fed rainwater.

• An enhanced streetscape and public link between the High Street and Victoria Gardens, with bespoke bronze planters and decorative paving.

• A 15m tall bespoke vertical garden for Notting Hill Gate high street.

• New wildlife friendly gardens to the rear.

The scheme is currently under construction, set for completion 2023.

Client: Confidential

Status: Currently under construction, set for completion 2023.

Service: Full role, concept to completion.

Size: 2,300m2 site area, 300m2 of native wildflower roof gardens, 30m2 vertical gardens

“Phil Allen Design designs new gardens in the sky”

• Former petrol station site

• 400m2 of new public realm

• 7 new street trees planted

• 500m2 of roof gardens

Phil Allen Design has been appointed on behalf of DPK PFS to support a detailed planning application for a new residential development in Lambeth.

The project consists of affordable homes for rent, specifically aimed at those that cannot yet make it on to the housing ladder in Lambeth. The scheme consists of several community roof gardens which sit across the top of two towers and are designed to be a respite from the city below.

The landscape aims to create a series of community-led gardens that compliment the built form and add character, animation and biodiversity to the residential terraces. Vibrant and verdant landscapes imbued with nature will contain plants that clean the air, absorb carbon and provide wildlife habitat and biodiversity.

Each garden offers a distinct character and functionality. A focus on planting will be common to all areas, particularly on the garden terraces at levels 8 and 12 and within the extensive green roof at level 15. This will not only help provide biodiversity but also help to create distinctive spaces, tied together with a common hard landscape palette.

The level 8 terrace will form a more active garden space with space for large groups and ad hoc activities. In contrast a reflective space on level 12 will provide an escape from city life, divided up into quiet spaces surrounded by vibrant seasonal planting. Finally a biodiverse extensive green roof at the very top of the building will provide habitat for invertebrates and food source for pollinators and birds.

Client: DPK PFS

Status: Planning approved

Service: Full Concept Design for planning

“Turning an old car park into a beautfiful new office garden as part of a high quality CAT A refurbishment in Richmond. “

“PAD ’s work is based on a very comprehensive understanding of good design, brief and budget. They always ensure an outstanding delivery for our Clients. Their refreshing approach has driven value throughout our projects” - Ben O’Connell, Partner, Gardiner & Theobald - PROJECT MANAGERS

• Award-winning 400m2 bespoke office garden

• 1,800 plants

• 35 new trees

• 92 different plant species

• 25m2 bespoke vertical garden

Eton House (now known as Explore, Richmond) was an old, vacant office building, with a poor energy performance, but situated in the heart of Richmond, within the Royal Borough of Richmond Upon Thames. The office had been vacant for a long time and sits in an area of short supply of high quality office space.

PAD landscapes were appointed at the beginning of Stage 1 to consider Feasibility ideas for converting an unused car park into a new bespoke Office Garden for future tenants, as well as new street tree planting, and upper garden terraces.

The challenge of the brief was to retain as much of the existing building fabric and structure, in order to retain the embedded carbon of the building and reduce environmental impacts arising from typical redevelopments. The site also sits within the Central Richmond Conservation Area, and so the proposal rightly needed to be thoughtful and sensitive to it’s historic location.

Our innovative light-weight garden design worked with the existing structure, and provided a bespoke layout to suit the future office users.

The scheme has won unanimous planning approval and opened in 2023.

Client: Moorevale

Status: RIBA 4 design complete. Construction starts 2023.

Service: Full design service: Concept to Completion

“A classic country garden with a contemporary twist”

Located in an historic village, this Grade 2 listed property had undergone an extensive renovation throughout and includes a beautiful new orangery facing the South Downs.

Phil Allen Design were invited to prepare concept designs and tender documentation for the creation of a contemporary family garden set across the estate of 0.8 hectare (1.9 acres).

Working in collaboration with our friends at Fern & Pine, the design focused on creating an elegant framework of spaces including a pool garden with bespoke pergola, main lawn with rich swathes of perennial planting, upper dining terraces and lower wild lawns with orchard and fire pit seating.

Plants are chosen for colour but also for shape and texture. Stripped bare, stalks, stems, and seed pods will, during winter, become architectural elements in the garden.

Evergreen shrubs in the background of beds and perennials in the foreground will create distinct visual focal points in the gardens.

Client: Private

Status: Completed Autumn 2020.

Service: Full service: Concept to Completion

“Phil Allen Design turns an old car park into a vibrant new public realm”

Set within Nottingham’s Creative Quarter, the site forms a key interface between the historic City centre and it’s newer easterly neighbourhoods. Consequently the development proposes to establish a new urban form that stiches the wider urban fabric together into a new public thread. Achieving this would make a positive contribution to the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of the area.

The building mass is defined by the urban block it sits on, but cleaves to form a new public link which allow permeability through the site. The streetscape enhancements and new public realm are activated by sculpture, bespoke structures, public seating, planting, retail spill-out and accomodation.

The hardscape materials proposed are used to tie the newly formed twin buildings into one cohesive scheme.

The planting is inspired by Victoria Park which connects directly to the public realm and consists of avenues of Ginko trees, native birches, ornamental multistems, wildflower roof gardens and drought-tolerant herbaceous perennials.

The plants have been carefully selected to increase the variety and range of species, to improve biodiversity and bolster climate resilience.

fast facts:

760 - square metres of new public realm

30 - new trees will be planted consisting of native and ornamental

species

290 - square metres of new wildflower roof gardens

300 – square metres of new public planting as part of a rainwater garden strategy to help soak up flood water.

Client: Watkins Group

Status: Construction started 2022

Service: Full RIBA service - Concept to Completion

Size: 2,100 m2 site

The Londoner is a unique 15-story project carefully nestled into the historic Southwest corner of Leicester Square—the famous entertainment district in London.

Phil Allen Design were invited to prepare landscape designs for the 350-room hotel, which will be complemented by two underground cinemas, restaurants, bars, wellness spaces and an event space.

Once finished, this flagship of the Edwardian Hotel brand will become the new anchor for Leicester Square, and the platform for the relaunch of the West End.

Client: Edwardian Hotels

Status: Completed 2021

Service: Full concept design

Phil Allen Design was invited to prepare designs for a new private garden in Highgate for an Architect and his partner, an Artist. The brief was to create a series of spaces for a young family to enjoy a range of activities.

The lower terrace connected to the building will accommodate entertaining and dining, with planting that is ornamental and scented. A middle terrace will consist of a large central lawn and more informal exotic planting introduced to create a more playful and informal space. Finally the upper terrace will provide a space for an outdoor studio and terrace for young adults and children to use.

Client: Private

Status: Ongoing

Service: Concept Design

Size: 270m2 garden, just 7m wide.

“PAD secures planning approval by taking a fresh approach to the redevelopment of a prominent site, following years of unsuccessful planning attempts”.

“Reinvigorating this urban plot whilst retaining much of the original building is a big positive for Lambeth in sustainability terms”. London Borough of Lambeth

“Over the years, PAD have developed a huge knowledge of hospitality design, that underpins our reputation as market leaders in the sector. Brands and developers know they’re tapping into this expertise when working with us”.

PAD were invited in 2021 to develop enhanced landscape strategies and a new landscape masterplan, as part of the refurbishment and upgrade of an existing hotel near Waterloo, opposite the iconic Imperial War Museum.

The hotel is owned by a family that specialises in operating their own brands, and the client wanted a ‘careful set of hands’ to guide the sensitive redevelopment of the site and aid the regeneration of this part of Lambeth.

We started by exploring the heritage of the site, which was previously occupied in 1872 by Sir James Wyatt, Justice of the Peace. The original gardens consisted of orchards and containted extensive tree planting across the site.

Our central concept was to protect and retain an existing ring of trees around the site, and to carve into the masterplan a set of pocket gardens, showcasing rare fruit trees and bee pollinating plants.

PAD employed heat map technology to determine pedestrian movement and flow and used this to inform the scale of each space and it’s permeability.

The result of this work, is a richly detailed landscape masterplan, unpinned by placemaking and heritage. This established a scheme with identity and character and has received full planning approval from Lambeth Council.

Client: Waterloo Hub Hotel Limited

Status: Approved at planning late 2022.

Service: Feasibility, Concept and Design Development.

“One of the most exciting country resorts coming to the UK ”

“Not only are PAD fantastically creative and technically gifted, they are commercially astute - this really sets them apart. The team take the time to understand the brief and project constraints and deliver on all fronts – quality design, on time and within budget. Without hesitation we would recommend PAD on all of our hospitality projects.”

— Mark Leonard, Managing Director Keytask Management - PROJECT MANAGERS

Phil Allen Design have submitted plans for an exceptional new golf resort in Buckinghamshire. Magnolia Park is a spectacular Par 73 Championship course weaving through 200 acres of beautiful landscapes gardens and countryside.

The beautiful gardens create a unique setting for this new hotel, which includes a full 18 hole golf course, water gardens, orangery terraces for dining and vista gardens overlooking the 18th.

The client’s brief involves the following:

• Expansive leisure gardens

• Outdoor dining terraces

• Fine dining water gardens

• Tennis courts facilities

• Sustainable urban drainage systems

• Wildflower roof gardens

• 100 high-quality guestrooms

• Leisure facilities

• Golf club house

The project is currently awaiting planning approval.

Client: Confidential

Status: Awaiting planning approval.

Service: Full role, concept to completion.

Size: 3.9 hectares

“a radical city scheme consisting of Europe’s largest green wall building” Architect’s Journal

“The great wall of Holborn will be a CO2-guzzling machine” - World Landscape Architecture

“’The City of London welcomes radical and pioneering ideas as demonstrated by Citicape House, as we look to create cleaner and greener developments for City residents, workers and visitors” - City of London’s Planning and Transportation Committee

At a time when governments and communities are grappling with the intertwined crises of climate change and ecological collapse, Citicape House represents a new direction in our urban developments.

The City of London goes green, with a £250m mixed-use development consisting of new public realm, roof gardens and 400,000 plants across the botanical facade, by Phil Allen Design.

We’re blessed with a lot of green space in London, but there’s always room for more, especially when you consider just how polluted the City is. Forming the gateway to the City’s new Culture Mile and working with a great team, we have helped created a new green iconic scheme for London.

This innovative design consists of contemporary urban space, fully accessible roof gardens and an expansive peat-free living wall, all fed and interconnected by rainwater harvesting.

Citicape’s planting will absorb eight tonnes of Co2 annually. We’ve calculated that the landscape will generate 7 tonnes of fresh air and contribute towards improving local air quality, trapping approximately 500kg of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) each year.

The public realm for Citicape House is the equivalent of one and half times the footprint of the building. It consists of large stone sculpture seats and water panels, designed to reflect the rare heritage of the site, encourage social interaction, collect rainwater and fully accessible.

The public roof garden consists of promenade and seating areas, garden ‘rooms’ and extensive native wildflowers. The garden will offer dramatic views overlooking St. Paul’s Cathedral and the City beyond. Importantly, it’s entirely open to the public and accessible to all, bringing much needed green space to the city. Let’s make all roofs public!

Citicape features:

- A new standard for Urban Greening (over 4x times the planning requirement for the Urban Greening Factor).

- 9,300 sq ft of public realm and roof gardens in the heart of the City.

- An iconic scheme forming a gateway to the new City of London’s Culture Mile.

- Over 8 tonnes of pollution absorbed and 6 tonnes of oxygen yearly.

Client: Dominvs Group

Status: Unanimously approved at planning committee

Service: Full planning application

Size: 0.2 hectares