The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has awarded its ultimate accolade to Registered Contractor PWP Landscape Design for its stunning BALI National Landscape Awards 2020 entry, a Private Residence in Yorkshire. The formal garden won the Grand Award after being entered into the Domestic Garden Construction – Costs Between
According to the UK Government, the solar industry is big business, with over 1 million solar PV systems installed by the end of 2020 – an increase of 1.6% on the previous year. Currently, only around 3.5% percent of total generated UK electricity is provided via solar energy systems, but with solar
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) has awarded its ultimate accolade to Registered Contractor PWP Landscape Design for its stunning BALI National Landscape Awards 2020 entry, a Private Residence in Yorkshire. The formal garden won the Grand Award after being entered into the Domestic Garden Construction – Costs Between £100k-£250k category, sponsored by Registered Affiliate Van den Berk Nurseries. PWP Landscape Design’s Grand Award project saw the installation team tackle an extensive formal garden with a strong axis and layout, providing an enviable outlook from the house with colour and year-round interest. Aggregates, soil, turf, porcelain paving, steels and plant stock had to be craned over the house whilst it was still under construction. The garden includes an extensive lawn, hedges and borders, steel pergola, formal beds and a central sunken walled patio. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills commented on their achievement, “PWP Landscape Design has entered our prestigious hall of fame, which includes 44 highly regarded Grand Award winning schemes from the last four decades. Our members, led by PWP Landscape Design, have once again demonstrated they are some of the most talented professionals in the UK, and we rightly celebrate them at the largest landscaping ceremony of its kind in Europe. I am delighted for Adrian, Ian and their team on such a magnificent scheme and I extend my personal congratulations to you, and to all our winners this year. COVID-19 may have placed restrictions on us in 2020, but it has done nothing to stop the quality, dedication and spirit of our members.” On the Grand Award, Chair of the Adjudication Panel John Melmoe said, “Despite unbelievably challenging logistics and having to build this garden whilst the new-build house was under construction, PWP Landscape Design demonstrated superb workmanship across every aspect of the scheme. Precision cutting of the hard elements and expert selection and planting of quality stock has resulted in faultless landscaping perfection and an ecstatic client.” Based in Leeds, PWP Landscape Design specialise in creating distinctive, functional and sustainable outdoor spaces, with a reputation for immaculate attention to detail and innovative design resolution. The team comprises of landscape architects, garden designers and horticulturalists. Due to COVID-19 this year’s ceremony was held virtually, with hundreds of members, guests and VIPs tuning in to watch the special stream as it aired on Friday 4 December. Supported by Headline Sponsor and Registered Affiliate Green-tech, the annual event is a highlight for many in the landscaping calendar and provided the perfect end of year celebration which recognised the skills, hard work, quality, commitment and successes of Registered members. In total 124 entries were judged by BALI adjudicators over the summer with 70. National Landscape Awards bestowed on 49 members in September. Of these 18 Principal and 4 Special Awards were announced during the virtual broadcast, including Specials for Best Design & Build for PWP Landscape Design, Best Newcomer to BALI for Registered Contractor Smart Landscape Design, who also won a Principal for a Private Residence in Bristol, and Best First Time Entrant for Registered Designer Jilayne Rickards MBALI. Jilayne was also presented with Best Use of Recycled & Reclaimed Materials alongside Registered Contractor Landscaping Solutions for their joint work on Principal Award winning scheme The Urban Retreat – London. Registered Contractors idverde, Maylim, Frosts Landscape Construction, Bowles & Wyer, Tivoli Group, Landscape Associates, BlueFish Landscaping Contractors, John O’Conner (Grounds Maintenance), Landform Consultants, Green Acorn Landscape Design and Construction and Talbot Farm Landscapes were also awarded Principals in their respective categories. Registered Designer Lynne Marcus MBALI MSGD achieved a Principal for her Private Residence in Pentworth, West Sussex whilst International member DDON Planning & Design Inc. took home a Principal for their spectacular The Taicang Wave Fountain Yard. This year’s Affiliate Exceptional Service Award went to Registered Affiliate CED Stone Group. 2020 was the third year the Awards were successfully delivered by the team at BALI’s Landscape House. Events Project Manager Emily Feeney, who was promoted into the role in August, said, “I am incredibly proud of the achievements of the team in 2020. Once again, the hard work and determination of everyone involved resulted in us hosting a successful virtual ceremony which entertained hundreds of our landscaping colleagues, industry organisations and VIPs. I would like to congratulate PWP Landscape Design and our winners this year, well done to you all. Finally, on behalf of my colleague Diane McCulloch, I would like to extend a special thank you to our sponsors. Without you there would be no ceremony and we truly value your ongoing support.” Although the event was held virtually, members took to social media to share photos of their teams watching the ceremony remotely in a concerted effort not to miss out on the celebrations. BALI’s best dressed competition, which launched several weeks ahead of the ceremony, proved popular with teams sharing snaps of their outfits in the hope of winning a £100 gift voucher. The result will be published on the BALI Awards Twitter and Instagram accounts on Monday 7 December 2020. A full list of award-winners and a description of the winning schemes is available on the BALI Awards website here.
According to the UK Government, the solar industry is big business, with over 1 million solar PV systems installed by the end of 2020 – an increase of 1.6% on the previous year. Currently, only around 3.5% percent of total generated UK electricity is provided via solar energy systems, but with solar PV predicted to be the fastest growing form of renewable energy production, by 2050, it’s likely that those figures will look very different. So why might now be the right time to move over to solar, incorporating it as standard when new construction projects are undertaken? Why incorporate solar into design?Anyone responsible for paying energy bills will know that prices have been steadily on the rise for some time now – in part down to the increasing complexity of the worldwide energy market as fossil fuels are phased out and renewable energy production continues to grow and evolve. Investing in a solar power system as part of a new build will allow for safeguarding against rising costs in the future, alongside increasing the end value of the property. Whilst the initial expenditure may seem large, in terms of overall build costs of solar versus traditional energy infrastructure, the prices are not much different, and the ongoing rewards are even bigger – the average UK resident will see a return on investment in only a few short years, whilst the benefits will keep on going. Pairing energy storage with solar installs is also beginning to gain traction – in fact, it has been demonstrated that if all UK south facing roofs were to have solar panels, the entire business industry could be powered by solar alone. However, it’s also important to remember that without storage, energy generated in this manner is lost, and alternative forms of power must be used to bridge the gap before the sun comes out again. Shifting bulk amounts of energy around still involves high prices for energy storage, and is not yet feasible on a mass scale. However, with individual storage solutions now available for installation in tandem with PV panels, on an individual or organisational level, it is possible to ensure that the power of solar stays possible, even during the hours of darkness, by incorporating storage into the design and construction of modern property. Design and flexibilityWhen you’re looking at options for a new build, it’s likely there will be solar technology available that will work with your design. Many solar PV panels are installed on rooftops (flat or pitched) and made of various materials, including metal, tile and shingle, meaning you can merge style and aesthetics when assimilating solar into your plans. No available south facing roof space doesn’t mean no potential for solar, and ground mounted solar energy systems and solar carports are also available, meaning it is possible to generate electricity from a variety of locations, in a range of situations – options are available for even the most unique property compositions. With emerging innovation such as that from the University of Sheffield, who have created a new type of solar cell which is more efficient and costs less to manufacture, it is likely that the appetite for solar will increase in line with the rise in supportive regulations and funding, research and development. This, in turn, will lead to a decrease in price for panels and infrastructure. Installing solar now will offer an advantage for anyone who wants to ensure that their new property is fit for the future, reducing running costs and benefiting the environment, and ultimately boosting value… whichever way you look at it, incorporating solar into building design is a strong move.
