Peveril Gardens are on the roof of a former garage unit for an adjacent tower block in Southwark London.  Formerly, the enclosed roof space was a brutalist ‘playground in the sky’ (one of several in the area) but fell into disuse and dereliction.  In 2018 Southwark Council ran a competition to create to renovate the building and create new garden space.  Sanchez Benton won the competition with a vision to create a surprising and unexpected garden, as part of a conversion of the building to artists studios.   The building is now the Head Offices of Forma Arts and Media

 

The planting in the garden is naturalistic in character, tolerant of hot dry conditions, and contains plants with bold foliage, which as the garden matures, should create a dramatic character.  There’s a gentle landform in the garden, created by using layers of insulation panels beneath to create the topography.  Red bricks form pathways, with red gravel between.  The plants are growing in a semi-intensive green roof substrate

 

The tree in the garden is Gleditsia triacanthos ‘Sunburst’.  This was chosen because of its bright yellow spring colour as a contrast to the tangerine colour of the walls, the delicate tracery of the foliage, and the light dappled shade that it creates.

The tree is planted at ground level, with the trunk rising through a hole cut in the roof, and the canopy spreading out into the garden