Hardscape Products Ltd

The new £250 million Alder Hey Children’s Hospital at Aintree, near Liverpool was completely rebuilt on neighbouring Springfield Park to integrate both hospital and park environments for the therapeutic benefit of the children requiring treatment. As Europe’s first hospital in a park, the outdoor space played a significant role in the development of the project. Hardscape worked in close partnership with contractors Laing O’Rourke and architects BDP to advise and supply a variety of coloured paving materials for the entire outside areas, designed to offer patients and visitors with a warm and welcoming space.

Blackburn’s new Cathedral Quarter is the result of a £34 million regeneration project, which has transformed the town centre’s cathedral area. The development had created a new vibrant mixed-use quarter including public areas and gardens that link the Cathedral directly with a new Cathedral Square, featuring offices, restaurants and a hotel.

Blue Peter has unveiled a special Gold Badge Walk to mark the show’s 60th anniversary. The children’s television programme reached the milestone in October 2018 with the first programme being broadcast on 16th October 1958. A host of events have been planned to celebrate this milestone over the next 12 months. Starting things off was the ‘Gold Badge Walk’, a path to honour some of the well-known names who have received the special accolade.

The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (Housing) commissioned landscape architects re-form of Leeds in 2013 to develop designs for an urban linear park which would ultimately form part of a multi-million-pound redevelopment of a rundown Bradford neighbourhood.

The transformation of Hull City Centre gave an opportunity to change how people and businesses use the city and this was represented by a huge investment by Hull City Council. It included fourteen streets and four public squares connecting the train station in the west to the old town and docks in the east.

The Colwyn Bay Waterfront Project, a key part of the Baylife Regeneration programme, has seen major investment into the redevelopment of the town’s seafront, safeguarding the town and its infrastructure from the threat of the sea and predicted climate change for years to come. The project extends over a 2.3 mile length of promenade from Rhos Jetty in Rhos on Sea, eastwards to Beach Road, Old Colwyn.

Saturday 2nd July 2016 marked the Centenary celebrations of the famous Cunard building in Liverpool – one of the city’s world–famous Three Graces. To bring the Cunard company’s legacy to life, the Hardscape team was commissioned by BCA Landscape in collaboration with design agency Smiling Wolf to craft an epic 50-metre granite stone seat.

Client: The Deptford Project Architect: Farrer Huxley Associates Contractor: Bower Contracting

As part of a major makeover, Eberle Street, Liverpool has been revamped with a unique paving and lighting scheme that pays homage to the mythical Emerald City of the Wizard of Oz, Yellow Brick Road and Judy Garland.

Hardscape has helped bring local history to life working with Vector Design Landscape Architects and sculptor Emma Hunter as part of the Elk Mill Shopping Park redevelopment project in Oldham. The landscape architects were commissioned by owners, British Land, to create a scheme marking the legacy of Elk Mill – Oldham’s last working cotton mill, which originally started production in 1928 as the largest in the UK.

It’s been over six years now since the garden celebrating the life and times of former England manager Sir Bobby Robson officially opened back in May 2011. The memorial, which was produced by north-east-born sculptor Graeme Mitcheson, sits close to NUFC, home of the club Sir Bobby supported as a boy and managed for five years between 1999 and 2004.

Trafford’s Mayor and Mayoress also attended to formally re–open the new-look square. Councillor Michael Young, Altrincham Forward board member, added: “Goose Green is the first completed area of Phase 1 of the public realm work in Altrincham and we have been delighted with the positive response to the improvements from both businesses and the public. The new pedestrian-friendly layout was designed with the aim of accommodating more community events within the square, and it is great to see Al

As part of a £19million conservation scheme, The Piece Hall has undergone a major transformation to revive the cultural, commercial and civic centre. Dating back to 1779, The Piece Hall was originally built to support the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth. The historic site is one of the last remaining examples of eighteenth century architecture of its kind.

Culzean Castle has long been a major attraction for tourists venturing south of Glasgow into Ayrshire, where it welcomes almost a quarter of a million people every year. Over the last few years the Natural Trust felt the Castle’s visitor centre and car park was in need of a revamp to accommodate the increasing number of visitors.

The biggest regeneration project undertaken in recent years in the Titanic Quarter, namely the £20 million restoration of Belfast’s Alexandra Dock, Pump House and surrounding HMS Caroline areas was formally opened in March 2018.

Mervyn Storey MLA the Social Development Minister within the Northern Ireland Assembly officially opened the new look Holywood Town Centre, post a £2.4million investment in the public realm, during December 2016. The project was funded in partnership between the Department for Social Development (DSD) and Ards & North Down Borough Council.

A fitting tribute to Ireland’s infantry war dead has been gracefully completed in Staffordshire at The National Memorial Arboretum. Depicted within this impressive and iconic memorial is artscape, used to create a map design as a monumental reminder of the sacrifice that Irish Infantry Regiments have made in service with the British Army since 1689, including both the recent World Wars and subsequent conflicts.

The opening of Kirkstall Forge train station marked a significant milestone in the development of the area in Leeds which has been undergoing a significant transformation. Hardscape worked alongside landscape architects Planit-IE to create a contemporary paving scheme that would help put the new riverside development at Kirkstall and the new station on the map, to achieve its commercial and residential potential. Multiple paving materials were used in the scheme including the stunning Kellen Sferio Bianco Perla.

A significant regeneration project to enhance the heart of Laxey Village was substantially completed ahead of the 2015 TT Festival. The culmination of the work was marked on Saturday 23 May 2015 when a statue honouring those who worked in the Great Laxey Mine was unveiled in the Heritage Garden at Mines Road.

Austin Smith-Lord’s 50 million–pound Liverpool Central Library project opened in May 2013 after a three–year complete overhaul. The scheme, in a World Heritage Site, involved the restoration of grade I listed elements as well as the insertion of a new building behind a historic facade. It was funded by PFI. The six-storey new building is arranged around a full-height atrium crowned with a glazed dome and roof terrace.

Since it first opened back in October 2017, Liverpool Shopping Park has become one of the UK’s biggest retail and leisure destinations featuring fashion, food and recreation. The retail park boasts particularly good connectivity, both locally and regionally, with approximately 1.8 million people living within a 30-minute drive. The yellow-panelled buildings, designed by AEW Architects, are home to several big brands, including Boots, H&M, Smyths, Outfit and JD Sports.

Since it first opened back in October 2017, Liverpool Shopping Park has become one of the UK’s biggest retail and leisure destinations featuring fashion, food and recreation. The retail park boasts particularly good connectivity, both locally and regionally, with approximately 1.8 million people living within a 30-minute drive. The yellow-panelled buildings, designed by AEW Architects, are home to several big brands, including Boots, H&M, Smyths, Outfit and JD Sports.

Marine Lake, Rhyl is situated alongside the River Clwyd estuary easily accessible from Rhyl Harbour. Previously an area of marshland, Marine Lake is now the only saltwater lake in Wales. Following the success of funding availability from Welsh Government in late Autumn 2015 a Senior Engineer at Denbighshire County Council designed and tendered the Project with the construction phase commencing in March 2016 with Alun Griffiths Contractors from Abergavenny. At the design stage DCC began discussions with Hardscape to explore materials to re-landscape the run-down highway area in and around the entrance to Marine Lake.

The City of Glasgow College, City Campus is a multi-award-winning scheme based in the heart of Glasgow. Completed in 2017, the City Campus was one part of a dual site development, the other being the Riverside Campus on the Clyde. Today, however, we focus on the City Campus site, looking at the brief of the scheme and what it was that allowed to win a staggering five different awards in 2017.

Twenty-five years on and the coal industry in Leigh is still being remembered. Parsonage Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Lancashire Coalfield which was sunk between 1913 and 1920 by the Wigan Coal and Iron Company. The first coal was wound to the surface in 1921 and from that moment the colliery was prevalent within the Lancashire coal industry and was subsequently nationalised in 1947, linking it to Golborne & Bickershaw collieries via underground passages. Eventually, as coal mining died out in the UK, it came to a close in early 1992.

Project timelines can often take years of scoping and development and none the least was the effort and commitment taken by Hardscape with this particular project managing to secure the material supply to Peel Park Campus, University of Salford in 2010 following a visit to the Kellen manufacturer in Holland with the design team.

In February 2018 Preston’s much anticipated multi-million-pound market hall opened its doors to customers for the first time. The new facilities are housed underneath the restored Victorian Canopy, which dates to 1875, with huge glass walls creating an open atmosphere with plenty of routes in from the streets surrounding the central location. Outside the hall is the refurbished outdoor market space and Box Market shipping containers that are tall enough to walk inside. These containers are used by traders on the former Fish Market as a base from which to sell their goods.

This incredible project came about through the Brighton Seafront Strategic Design Initiative the aim of which was to regenerate The West Pier at Brighton seafront through an integrated development plan and strategy. Brighton & Hove welcomes more than ten million visitors each year. Their iconic seafront is a tourist attraction recognised around the world. In August 2016, the award-winning and highly innovative observation tower or ‘vertical pier’ the British Airways i360 tower designed by Marks Barfield Architects, opened to the public.

Employing precision techniques and careful material selection, Hardscape assisted in the design and production of innovative paving artwork for Regent Street, in the centre of Douglas. The Isle of Man Town and Village Regeneration Scheme was implemented to infuse a new energy into the island’s commercial districts.

Spire Healthcare opened a £60m flagship hospital in Nottingham in late Spring this year. The hospital was built with extensive input from consultants, staff and patients alike. Creating 150 new jobs for the local area, the state-of-the-art facility offers patients a wide range of integrated surgical, medical and diagnostic services that will meet the needs of Nottingham and its surrounding areas for years to come.

Stockport Exchange is a new, multi-million pound mixed-use destination, combining high quality office space with retail and leisure facilities and car parking. The project, a joint venture between Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and their development partner Muse, aimed to create a thriving commercial business district for Stockport.

In May 2017, a golden, futuristic style building docked at the heart of Media City in Salford Quays. People in the surrounding areas were intrigued by the unusual and eye-catching structure of the new branch of ‘The Alchemist’ – a trendy bar and restaurant chain from Living Ventures, renowned for its unusual and extravagant cocktails. Designing the surrounding landscaping to complement such an avant-garde building was a challenge. Hardscape reveals how it worked alongside Reid Architects and the Bolton-based construction company, Artez, to supply the best materials for this cutting-edge scheme.

Dundee’s dramatic new attraction, the V&A museum, is set to become a world class destination, as work connecting Scotland’s fourth largest city to its Waterfront, continues. Hardscape were privileged to supply the natural stone, both outside the building and inside including the beautiful Carlow Blue limestone flooring and steps leading up to the galleries.

March 2018 signalled the start of a phased opening of the 68,748 sq m expansion which saw more than 90 new shops, cafes, restaurants and leisure outlets open throughout 2018 taking Westfield London to 241,547 sq m, making it the largest shopping centre in Europe.

A world first Catholic and Jewish faith schools’ joint campus opened in August 2017 in Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire. Local authority East Renfrewshire Council delivered the £17million joint campus to provide the required increased provision of Catholic education in the area. The facility also serves as a relocation for the current Calderwood Lodge from its old base in Newlands.

Client: Salford City Council Architect: Urban Vision Contractor: Casey