public realm/landscape
120 Fenchurch St, EC3M 5BA
what3words: august.saving.person
This year marks LUC’s 60th anniversary. We are celebrating a legacy founded by two landscape architects and an ecologist, built on creativity, collaboration, and meaningful design. To mark the occasion, we are showcasing five projects highlighting the breadth and diversity of LUC’s work across disciplines and design approaches. Together, they demonstrate our thoughtful and impactful work.
Discover one of the City of London’s most remarkable public spaces, hidden high above the streets below. Located 65 metres above street level, the 2,200m² roof garden at One Fen Court offers spectacular 360-degree views across London’s skyline while providing a tranquil escape from the dense City cluster below.
Designed by LUC in collaboration with Eric Parry Architects and Latz + Partner for Saxon Generali Real Estate, the garden demonstrates how landscape and architecture can be combined within a dense urban environment. Open and fully accessible to the public, it has been carefully designed to create a welcoming destination above the heart of the City.
The scheme echoes aspects of the English garden tradition, combining seasonal herbaceous planting with exposure-tolerant and evergreen grasses, vines and espalier fruit. The planting creates a rich and varied landscape within an elevated rooftop setting.
Crowning the garden is an immense metal pergola supporting a grove of 88 wisterias. In spring, a crescendo of amethyst-blue flowers transforms the space, while throughout the year the structure provides welcome shade and ever-changing light and shadow effects across the terrace.
Strategically positioned cameras beam images of the garden and skyline to a vast screen fitted to the ceiling of the public thoroughfare at street level, welcoming visitors to enter the garden and discover this unique rooftop landscape.
The roof garden has been designed to include all the best aspects of a public space whilst integrating building services and energy-efficiency requirements. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the challenges and opportunities of creating a publicly accessible rooftop garden within the heart of the City of London.
