The Urban Nature Project, London

In 2019 Infrastruct CS (ICS) were commissioned to undertake the role of Civil Engineer for a new project within the 2.1 hectares of the Natural History Museum (NHM) grounds in Cromwell Road, London. The project was led by MACE and involved over 20 consultancies in the design team. G&L Gibbons were in charge of the landscape design (https://jlg-london.com/Urban-Nature-Project-Natural-History-Museum-1) and Feilden Fowles in charge of the architecture for two new buildings, the Learning and Activity Centre and the Garden Café (https://www.feildenfowles.co.uk/urban-nature-project-natural-history-museum/)

Infrastruct CS designed both the foul and surface water drainage (SuDS), and also provided assistance with surface finishes, road build-ups, ground levels, etc. The client’s vision for the gardens demanded sustainability, aesthetic appeal, and a low carbon footprint while being mindful of cut and fill volumes.

The solution comprised nine different SuDS features scattered over the nearly 2 hectares of the site, and included rainwater gardens, infiltration basins, gravel trenches, cellular soakaways, green roofs, rills, conveyance swales and dry swales.

Despite the challenges, this project provided a unique opportunity to learn about sustainable materials and design principles. It reinforced the importance of incorporating sustainable concepts into future projects whenever possible, even in cases where budgets and expert teams are available, carbon off-setting may still be necessary.

For further details about this interesting scheme, please refer to the Natural History Museum links below, which feature its highlights including the Timeline Wall:

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/urban-nature-project.html
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/timeline-wall.html
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/garden-highlights.html