CABE Space Design Scholarship

Designing a compatible treescape

Objective:To undertake research to enable the production of best practice guidance in the principles and technologies associated with design, establishment and compatible longevity of trees planted in urban, hard landscaped open space.

CABE became one of the logs on the coalition’s quango bonfire

Tree people like talking to tree people

The arboricultural profession has failed to deliver a sustainable urban treescape…

…Why?

We need to plant less trees in our urban environment.

Tree officers should spend less time looking at trees

Arboricultural consultants should invest more time in selling the principles of arboriculture to their clients and to other professional disciplines

Our research organisations need to be more focussed on topical issues, providing the practitioner with credible evidence of the value and viability of the urban treescape

Our professional bodies are failing their membership in their duty to raise the profile of our profession in the political and policy making arenas

Trees & Design Action Group

- looking outside the tree pit

Taking the mountain to Mohammed

- Ecobuild 2011 - ExCel- Street Design Exhibition - NEC

10m

10m

Foundation specifications

Trench foundation: 4800 x 1000 x 450 = 21.6 m3

1.0m

Building

FoundationGround ------level

Pad foundations: 2000 x 2000 x 1500 = 6.0m3 x 4 = 24.0m3

Ground ------level

Building

Column

Pad foundation

10m

10m

8m

1500 x 1500 x 1000 = 2.25m3

Ground ------level

Building ??

Root system of an open grown tree

A daunting density and complexity of constraints

Too frequently this is the norm for the tree pit spec.

Bespoke species selection and bespoke pit design for each site

• No vision

• No provision

• No chance!

Soil volume standards adopted as policy

Root deflectors direct roots to growing medium below and prevent conflict with paved surface

Rainwater from adjacent roofs is directed into tree pits

Millennium Park, Chicago

A impressive feat of engineering creates a complex blend of architecture, art and nature

Linear crating systems provide the tree with in excess of 20 cubic metres of growing medium beneath the pavement for each tree

We need to plant less trees in our urban environment.

• Promote trees at design stage as a critical element of urban infrastructure

• Deter numbers driven political agendas

• Invest resources wisely – make better provision for fewer trees

• Design bespoke tree pits that are integrated with other infrastructure and compatible in the long term

Tree officers should spend less time looking at trees

• Play a more strategic role within the organisation

• Raise the profile of specialist services

• Influence policy and strategic objectives

• Adopt minimum soil volume standards (SVS) as policy

Arboricultural consultants should invest more time in selling the principles of arboriculture to their clients

• Invest in education of the user to promote the service

• Secure the respect of other disciplines and work along side them

• Promote the benefits, particularly financial ones, to sell the principles

Our professional bodies are failing their membership in their duty to raise the profile of our profession in the political and policy making arenas

• Two way process – members need to get involved with their organisation

• We need to be recognised as a credible profession that has a will to influence policy at a national level

• Duty to promote the profession to the member’s customers

Conclusions

• Latest technology and design enables compatible integration of grey, blue and green infrastructure

• Its implementation requires greater synergy between the multiple disciplines involved in urban design, construction and management

• There is considerable scope to further develop the concept of ‘Sustainable integrated infrastructure (Sii)’

Look outside the tree pit

Sii – The Future