The Eco City Garden
Design Hay Joung Hwang Sponsor LG Electronics Build Randle Siddeley Theme Sustainable city living
“THIS YEAR my design focuses on how to combat air pollution in our major cities. During my research I came across the work of Professor Barbara Mayer at Lancaster University on the role trees can play in intercepting toxin particles – some are 20x smaller than a grain of sand, so they can get into the lungs and bloodstream, causing a wide range of cancers. “Every tree has a different efficiency at absorbing this pollution. Silver birch, maples and pine trees are better at it than oak or willow. One of the best is Acer tataricum ginnala, and we have five of them in this garden. Moss is very powerful in eliminating pollution too. According to research, 24m2 of moss can remove 500g of pollution every day – the equivalent of 275 trees! Here the moss is integrated into an aquaponic system, with ferns dotted through the design to create volume, rhythm and balance. “Aquaponics is a combination of hydroponics (where you use water to grow plants, instead of soil) and aqua culture. It’s more efficient than hydroponics because you can use fish waste as plant nutrients to make growing vegetables more sustainable. “I always like to use technology in my designs. Here I’m using solar windows made by UK company Polysolar, which contain photo-voltaic cells that can generate electricity. “As for the herbaceous planting, it’s another feminine, romantic fantasy like my 2016 Chelsea garden! The colour scheme is pale orange, pale yellow and white, using white foxgloves, poppies, lupins, tulips, trollius and roses. On top of the building is a sedum roof – in design terms for a balance of aesthetics, plus the sedum will attract lots of pollinators too.”