Project overview
Until March 2011 Finsbury Circus was an attractive enclave of greenery in the centre of the City of London. It was the largest public open space within the City's boundaries and was home to an immaculately maintained Lawn Bowls club, which had existed in the gardens since 1925. Unfortunately its location was its downfall: until 2016 the park will be a key part of the Crossrail construction project, providing essential access to the Liverpool Street and Moorgate tunnel dig. All that is left is a circumference of ancient trees, a small path with benches and the bandstand.
As part of its commitment to the environment Crossrail was looking for solutions to enhance the greenery of the site at Finsbury Circus as well as providing additional control of the noise and dust pollution in the area. Our delivery team installed pre-grown ivy screens as a quick and effective solution for the hoarding around the construction site, with a green wall system used to provide a feature living wall on the hoarding that cut the park in half by the bandstand.
Technical Details
The ivy screens were retrofitted by cutting slots in the existing wooden hoardings, then positioning and securing the screens in place. Irrigation was achieved using pressure-regulated drip lines placed along the ivy troughs and automatically controlled using a timer.
The feature wall was installed by preparing the wire mesh support and then hanging pre-potted plants as they were delivered on site. All planting of the containers was carried out off-site by our supplier to maximise efficiency and minimise the impact on the public space around the installation site. Irrigation of the green wall was achieved by attaching irrigation lines to the wire mesh with pressure-regulated drippers above each pot. The overall green wall was split into two irrigation zones, each controlled by a separate valve to ensure water pressure was maintained.
FINSBURY CIRCUS