Project Details
Location: Kennington, London
Main Contractor: Berkeley Group
Landscape Contractor: NAO Landscapes Ltd
Over an 8-year period, this development will provide over 1,300 new homes, more than 100,000 sq. ft. of public realm, and 140,000 sq. ft. of mixed-use commercial space.
Watermatic was commissioned to design and install two separate automatic irrigation systems: one designed to support the soft landscaping on a podium level and the second for a roof terrace garden.
We started by installing the plant rooms, including two variable-speed, single-pump booster sets, to evenly distribute water with the correct pressure and flow across each irrigation system. Control units, signal cable and pipe runs extend from the plant room to the external areas.
Podium irrigation
The podium irrigation system comprises pop-up sprinklers to irrigate the lawn and drip irrigation for the planters, shrubs, and trees. Correct spacing of pop-up sprinklers is essential to ensure there is even coverage and no wastage through overspray. Careful planning goes into calculating the flow rate and quantity of dripline used to suit the needs of each different plant type in the landscaped area.
Roof terrace irrigation
Irrigation is key to the success of any planting scheme on a roof terrace. The combination of increased exposure to sunlight and lack of access to groundwater means that plants frequently risk drought.
Further considerations in the design phase had to be made regarding drainage, due to the construction method and layering of a terraced landscape. We opted for sub-surface drip lines to irrigate the lawns instead of traditional pop-up sprinklers. This method of irrigation directly targets the roots to reduce the amount of water required.
