Successful entries could help to inspire the final design of the pilot Healthy New Town, and depending on success, could even inform national policy
Do you have a world-class idea for innovations in healthy placemaking? Ebbsfleet Development Corporation will soon be inviting submissions to a new design competition, Ebbsfleet Garden City: Landscape for Healthy Living.
The competition will challenge landscape professionals to demonstrate the leadership potential of their industry in showing the way towards healthy living environments. The Landscape Institute is delighted to be running this competition on behalf of Ebbsfleet, in association with NHS Dartford Gravesham and Swanley Clinical Commissioning Group.
The competition aims high. As the first garden city of the 21st Century, Ebbsfleet aims to be an exemplar of healthy new towns. Entries will be judged on their potential to shape the whole city, rather than just one site, and the NHS hope to look beyond Ebbsfleet at the health of the nation as a whole.
Multidisciplinary teams encouraged
Both individuals and teams may submit entries. Teams may comprise single design practices or consortia. However, Ebbsfleet particularly encourages submissions from multidisciplinary teams. As well as landscape and the built and natural environment professions, they would like to see interesting and stimulating proposals from teams that include engineers and visual artists.
The best schemes will build on Ebbsfleet’s unique existing landscape. They will demonstrate connectivity to blue and green infrastructure, landscape’s contribution to health and wellbeing, and environmental resilience. Biodiversity and sports and leisure will play a key role.
Get creative – and think big
During the first stage of the competition, entrants will be able to propose ideas for one or more sites within Ebbsfleet’s four development areas: Ebbsfleet Central; Northfleet Riverside; Eastern Quarry and Ebbsfleet Green; and Swanscombe Peninsula. Proposals can be as small or as large as desired – from a single pocket park to a masterplan for the whole town!
The competition aims to recognise innovation and outstanding design. The ideas generated during the initial stage may provide inspiration for the final design of Ebbsfleet and, potentially, elsewhere in the UK.
There are two categories for the competition – one for students, and one for practitioners. There will be cash prizes for the best ideas submitted during the student competition: one first prize of £2,000, one runner-up prize of £1,000, and two highly commended prizes of £500. From the professional entrants, judges will then select up to five teams to proceed to stage two. These teams will receive second briefs and will have the task of developing detailed designs for specific sites within Ebbsfleet.
All shortlisted teams will receive an honorarium of £3,000. The final winner will receive a further cash prize of £5,000.
Watch this space!
Registration will open during the coming week, with the submissions window closing on Monday 2 April. Keep your eye on the LI website for more announcements, or sign up to our newsletter below to be the first to hear about the launch!
