Urban Planters and WoodBlocX Unite to create an East London rooftop terrace oasis

Towering above the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford One is a student accommodation block with a unique location, to say the least, and to make the most of the incredible views, the new building boasts rooftop podiums and a terrace.

So, when our London East branch was asked to create a landscaping scheme for these special outside areas, we knew we had to come up with something worthy of the setting.

The resulting scheme features a patterned layout of raised beds on the rooftop terrace of a new student accommodation block, and uses a mixture of grasses, herbs, ferns and shrubs for year-round colour and biodiversity.

The aim being that the interesting textures and colours of the planting provide a relaxing setting for the students while they contemplate the incredible views over the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The bespoke irregular pattern of the bed layout, and the need to incorporate lighting and seating, led us to a new supplier with the perfect solution.

Wood BlocX is a system of wooden components which can be built like bricks, without the need for sawing or drilling, to create beautiful bespoke raised beds, which are quickly and easily built on site.

Thanks to the dowel and wedge system and the fact that the wood undergoes a thorough pressure treatment beforehand, they are also very robust.

Another useful feature of WoodBlocX is that they can be laid without the need for a foundation, which made them perfect this particular project.

Altogether, UrbanPlanters and WoodBlocX created 10 raised beds, incorporating lighting and 20 seating areas and the resulting scheme creates a peaceful breakout area for the students, full of colour and interest, without stealing the show from the breath-taking backdrop.

What’s more, research has found that being near plants can improve concentration and productivity, so hopefully our planting scheme will help the resident students achieve good grades!

To find out more about WoodBlocX, view our video.