Imperial College London North Central Square

Following on from successful award of the £34m South Campus infrastructure package, the North Central Square design and build contract delivered drainage, tree pits, installation of semi-mature trees, kerbing and paving, lighting, CCTV and security features.

Designed by GROSS. MAX., an award-winning landscape architecture practice, the garden brings half an acre of new green space to the campus. The garden is built around three interlocking lawn areas, designed to provide space for outdoor events and activities. The lawns are complemented by extensive seating which offers a range of places to take a break or meet informally with colleagues and friends.

Extensive M&E works were required both within the Central Square and within an adjacent building’s basement plant room, as the scope of works included provision of watering points for the soft landscaping, new lighting and power distribution boards and communications connections for the CCTV and security access control.

Using our specialist M&E supply chain partner and following collaboration with the client’s Estate Team, Careys installed cabling and pipework within the plant room and access corridors. Also installed and incorporated into the finished works were new distribution board enclosures and foundations.

A timber podium seating structure is a key feature of the landscaping design. Designed in association with our specialist timber supplier, we self-delivered this structure. Uplighters and electrical connections were incorporated into the finished podium.

The seating and tables are made from sustainably sourced Cumaru hardwood, chosen for its durability and longevity.

In creating the garden, Imperial College’s own sustainability experts helped to select species, with plants and trees chosen for their climate resilience and ability to adapt to a changing environment, as well as support local wildlife.

Keen to ensure a developed and mature landscape for the finished works, the client team stipulated the use of semi-mature trees. These were selected and ‘tagged’ during a collaborative team trip to the tree nursery. The delivery and installation of these trees was carefully planned to ensure that there was no impact on access or delivery to the university campus by other users. Tree pits were carefully designed to include aeration and suitable drainage, with ongoing watering and maintenance taking place up to and following practical completion of the works.

As with all our works, proactive steps were put in place to prevent the exceeding of agreed limits. We undertook and submitted predictions of noise and vibration levels at chosen locations, identifying aspects from the work programme likely to cause significant noise and/or vibration. This allowed us to anticipate potential impact on neighbours and adopt appropriate mitigation methods.