Lee Valley Ice Centre wins landscape design award

The outdoor space at the site of the centre on Lea Bridge Road in Leyton is designated as Metropolitan Open Land and located to the south of Leyton Marsh so the landscaping was an intrinsic part of the design and build of owner Lee Valley Regional Park Authority’s £30 million project to rejuvenate the site.

Landscape architects LDA Design created a spectacular outdoor space that sensitively supports the ecological importance of the surrounding marshlands. Work included planting 181 new native trees and a mix of around 35 native species of wildflowers and grasses. Plus, the addition of 10,000 square meters of new native wildflower meadows ensures the landscaping supports local wildlife and enhances biodiversity. Whilst ecological improvements included the utilisation of solar panels, gabion baskets, bat and swift boxes, green roofs, insect hotels and shelters for hedgehogs.

The overall design of the ice centre, by architects FaulknerBrowns, incorporated an innovative strategy by LDA Design and Expedition Engineering Ltd, for treating ice meltwater using a new wetland system, which reuses treated meltwater for flushing WCs and improving water quality and, in time, the flow levels in nearby Oxbow Lake to support the site’s biodiversity. All this and more has led to the centre being hailed as the most sustainable ice centre in the UK.

The Design Awards judging panel considered more than just the look of a landscape, when making the award. They judged each entry on the exemplar design – the interrelated principals of human, social, environmental, and financial value - they brought to the community.

Joanna Milewska from LDA Design attended a special ceremony at the William Morris Gallery and received the award on behalf of the entire team at Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, FaulknerBrowns and LDA Design.

Dan Buck, Corporate Director at Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, said: “We’re delighted with this design award that is testament to the hard work and creativity of the team that worked tirelessly to create a vibrant, unique destination. Sustainability is the focal point of Lee Valley Ice Centre, and our £1.5 investment in the landscaping, planting and environmental enhancements at the venue make the surrounding area one of the highlights of the site. It’s a wonderful oasis of calm and is becoming a setting off point for people to discover other areas of Lee Valley Regional Park that lay beyond, such as Walthamstow Marshes.”

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For more information, hi-res imagery or to request interviews, please contact: Alison Moore, Senior Corporate Communications Officer

M: 07909 000316 E: amoore@leevalleypark.org.uk