Guest post: Floods crisis: Government indecision and delay “must stop now”

Alex Stephenson, Director of Hydro International UK’s Stormwater Divison, explains why the implementation of the Pitt Review needs an injection of urgency, and why that ought to draw upon engineered SuDS technologies.

As Britain is gripped by a floods crisis, Government indecision and inertia is seriously delaying vital work to protect thousands of homes and properties in the UK.

Devastating flooding is causing millions of pounds worth of damage in scenes reminiscent of the 2007 floods that prompted a groundbreaking Government review by Sir Michael Pitt. Yet how much real progress has been made?

Finding specialist contractors via ESI.info and the External Works directory

Adam White is a director of the landscape architecture practice, Davies White. In our latest video, he talks to Su Butcher about finding products and services for a public park development, centring on retaining the banks of a pond island. Adam explains how he used the new tools on ESI.info and the familiar form of the printed External Works directory hand in hand.

ESI.infoTV Episode 3

The award-winning industry bible, EXTERNAL WORKS: to print or not to print? That was the question

Over 25 years of influence and expertise as the market leader and still going strong!

We recently undertook a survey to find out how many of you still use the EXTERNAL WORKS directory, either in its printed form (affectionately known as the industry bible) or via our website www.ESI.info.

The survey, which was sent to a wide range of professionals involved in external works and landscape projects, demonstrates that trusted, credible printed resources are still very much in demand when it comes to making decisions about who and what to work with.

Nearly 80% of you, who took part in the survey, confirmed that you still use printed copies of the EXTERNAL WORKS directory and 75% wanted to receive a new up-to-date directory.

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Most respondents referred to EXTERNAL WORKS as their first port of call when looking for new products or suppliers to work with. The main factors influencing this choice related to convenience, timesaving and the credibility of the information published. Many indicated that they preferred the book as everything was in one place, rather than having to use general search engines to look for several companies at a time.

A significant segment also referred to EXTERNAL WORKS as an essential visual aid and reference when discussing designs or specifications in meetings with the design team or with clients.

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Online routes to EXTERNAL WORKS

Approximately 21% of you preferred to access EXTERNAL WORKS information online.

Factors for using the website suggested it was more comprehensive in coverage, great for generating ideas,  with additional tools making it quicker to contact relevant manufacturers or suppliers.  Some of you also indicated that you often started using the book and then went online to find more granular information in order to shortlist and compare products, or to contact multiple suppliers.

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Unsurprisingly, the pressure on space in offices meant fewer respondents had access to printed libraries, and many companies indicated that company policy meant a move to paperless working. Other factors for choosing online resources included those of you who work in shared or mobile workspaces.

What was surprising was that less than 1% of respondents mentioned visiting manufacturers’ websites directly when looking for sourcing products and suppliers online, suggesting the important role directories and websites like EXTERNAL WORKS play in supporting key decisions when choosing products and materials to work with.

Looking ahead

In the face of such positive feedback, we have decided to print a 25th anniversary edition of the EXTERNAL WORKS directory, to be released in May 2013.

This decision goes hand in hand with an exciting development programme planned throughout 2013 to make EXTERNAL WORKS information available in different formats including print, online and mobile, to suit your evolving requirements and working practices. We’re also working on new content that will allow consultants and contractors to showcase projects, as well as products and services.

Finally, a big thank you to all those who took part in our survey

We’d like to thank all respondents who took the time to complete this short survey. Your feedback was invaluable in helping us reach this decision to print a final edition.

A special mention should also go to Howard Bowcott, the artist and landscape sculptor, who won our prize draw for a new Apple iPAD.

Request your copy of the new EXTERNAL WORKS 2013 edition

If you would like to request a copy of this forthcoming directory, please contact us on the details below.

Email:    bookreg@esi.info
Tel:        01786 407000

Guest post: How LEDs are changing the entire concept of exterior lighting

Guy Harding, Lighting Development Manager at Woodhouse, sums up the challenges and opportunities associated with LED technology and its adoption for use in external lighting.

Guest post: autumn care tips

Alex Edwards of Inturf offers a general guide to the upkeep and maintenance of established turf areas during the autumn months.

Guest post: plants for natural playscapes

Vince Edwards of James Coles & Sons (Nurseries) Ltd shares a list of species that meet the particular planting requirements of play areas. The plants provide a safe yet interesting backdrop and a floral complement to the various elements of a play scheme.

Guest post: specifying and laying turf

Adam Pounds of Tillers Turf runs through a simple guide to preparing areas for turf, for landscaping and sports situations, and getting the best results when laying it.

Transport planning: Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors

The latest publication by Inclusive Design for Getting Outdoors (I’DGO), ‘Why does the outdoor environment matter?’, has been added to the online Transport Advice Portal (TAP), a paper-free technical library available for everyone involved in planning, designing and operating road networks.

The four-page booklet summarises findings from both phases of the I’DGO project on older people’s mobility and well-being, and provides key messages for policy makers and professionals, including those working in highways and transportation.

I’DGO is a research project focused on identifying the most effective ways of shaping outdoor environments inclusively. It is run by three academic research centres in Edinburgh, Warwick and Salford, working as a multidisciplinary consortium, supported by partners in industry, government and advocacy.

Guest post: Localising playgrounds

Paige Johnson is the author of the Playscapes blog, which at 80,000 page views per month is the most widely read source of playground design on the web.

Playgrounds can be one of the worst offenders in the struggle to make public spaces locally relevant. Following a standard recipe of ‘kit, fence and carpet’ ensures that a play space could be in Milton Keynes or Madagascar, Swindon or South LA. Without context, who’s to tell?

Adding local context to a playground installation increases community commitment to the space, involves local providers, and is just plain more fun. Localised elements can form the basis for new playground installations, or be added to improve existing ones. Here, examples from my four years of writing about playgrounds at Playscapes illustrate strategies for localising the playground.

1.  Consider topography

Whenever possible, playgrounds should make the ground plane itself part of the play, preserving or reflecting local topographies.

Retaining an existing pile of rubble at a reclaimed industrial site in France allowed this playground by Agence TER to fit into a familiar local site AND be more exciting by hanging off its steep side.

Topographies can be simpler constructions as well: this spiral mound in London, made of turf by Mortar and Pestle Studio, recalls similar Elizabethan garden features.

Guest post: Why play matters in design

Today’s guest post comes from Cath Prisk, Director of Play England. Play England is the national organisation campaigning for children’s freedom to play. Design and engineering of the spaces and places children grow up have a key role in making sure we reverse the trend that is keeping 70% of our nation’s children locked inside.

“90% of adults played out regularly in their street as children. Nowadays 29% of children aged 7–14 say they don’t play or hang out in their street at all.”

Source: Playday 2010/ ICM Research

If you think about where you live, how often do you see children and young people outside enjoying themselves? Now think about when you were young – how often were you roaming your neighbourhood and playing outside?

There are many reasons why children are less visible in our neighbourhoods, but design of the spaces and travel routes around them is a critical part.