This pocket champions the transformation of student terrace gardens and is inspired by the designer’s local area of Crookesmoor, Sheffield. It highlights how low-cost, low-maintenance, drought-tolerant planting can improve student mental well-being by providing beautiful spaces to relax and socialise.
A warm, uplifting palette of vibrant self-seeders, grasses, and perennials (including purples, reds, and apricots) erupts from a bed of recycled aggregate, signifying the dissolution of hard surfaces while preserving the unpolished, raw character of the student city. A bespoke brick sculpture, handmade by the designer’s own student community, and personified with facial features, celebrates the strength in honest conversations about our emotions as we navigate young adult life.
Despite research promoting the benefits of greenspace on mental wellbeing and stress-reduction, student areas nationwide remain infamous for their hard-surfaced yards, favouring bins and cigarette-butts over plants and wildlife. These demoralising spaces should become thriving gardens which embrace nature right on our doorstep, making our student communities happier and healthier.
Plants
The planting is bold and vibrant, balancing warm hues of crimson, apricot and purple with contrasting textures and use of scale to create an uplifting atmosphere. Common ruderal plants of urban environments - self-seeding annuals and grasses - are integrated with garden perennials, creating an informal, rugged feel that highlights the beauty of spontaneity
