SureSet Approved Installer wins a Bali 2018 National Award

Lockwood Landscapes, SureSet Approved Installer since 2011, are no strangers to winning awards! Their projects are regularly highlighted for their outstanding attention to detail and all-around quality of workmanship, aftercare and the service provided.

At the start of 2018 Lockwood was awarded the SureSet Elite Approved Installer ‘Spotlight’ Award for one of their driveway installations which demonstrated their years of experience and knowledge of both SureSet and other landscaping products.

Not only do Lockwood Landscapes complete domestic installations and landscaping but they also have over 15 years of experience in the landscaping school playgrounds and play area industries. As one of the country’s leading landscape contractors in the play area industry their expertise allows them to design, build and create exciting, engaging and long lasting playgrounds for school and public realm enjoyment.

As a result of Lockwood’s work in the industry this year they were recognised in the 2018 Bali National Landscape Awards, winning the “Community and Schools Development” award for their installation at Earlsfield Primary School in London. We caught up with Bruce Lovelock from Lockwood Landscapes who gave us the rundown of the project:

Lockwood Landscapes worked with Davies White Landscape Architects to engage the pupils, staff and parents of Earlsfield Primary School in the design and construction of this innovative landscape led project.

The scheme considers the values of the school whilst helping to reconnect the children with nature. We are hopeful this project will inspire other schools to take a landscape led approach to playground refurbishment. It is not simply about providing play equipment from a catalogue, this project tackles the serious issues around childhood obesity, nature deficit disorder and plant blindness.

The project is a result of months of design workshops and integrates existing elements whilst connecting the disjointed spaces. The scheme is special, unique, fun, contemporary, educational, challenging, safe, sustainable and healthy.

The boundaries are now functional and playful, the new trees and shrub planting areas weave the space together, the bespoke play equipment offers risk and challenge, and the resurfacing addresses the drainage issues whilst the new signage creates a sense of arrival.

The Geo Dome Greenhouse idea came from one of the children who had visited the Eden Project. The children now have a gardening club where they grow a variety of plants from seed -  many pollinator friendly.

The improvements are consistent with the school’s maintenance capacity and the school now supports and promotes both the BALI #golandscape and the Landscape Institute #chooselandscape career campaigns. This project is a great example of collaboration by the landscape industry and shows how involvement engages with the end users can foster ownership and create more educational spaces for future generations.

Bruce went on to explain:

Whilst working with Andree Davies of Davies White Landscape Architects who designed the area we were able to specify certain materials. Originally some of the surfaces were going to be self-binding gravel, but with the added benefits of resin bound paving we easily persuaded them to use SureSet permeable resin bound paving being the more suited application in a smaller area.

The benefits of using a resin bound surface over a resin bonded surface or self-binding gravel system are primarily that a resin bound systems like SureSet is permeable, and with the correct build up is SuDS compliant which is in keeping with the architects’ brief. You can read more about the differences between resin bound and resin bonded systems here.

Everyone at SureSet is immensely proud of Lockwood Landscapes achievements in 2018 and if this year is anything to go by we can expect big things from them in the future!