June 22nd – 23rd, Hardscape were proud headline sponsors of the annual Landscape Institute Conference – ‘Landscape as Infrastructure’, which hit the road and took place outside the capital for the first time.
Hailed as a great success, the event at Manchester Metropolitan University was attended by over 200 landscape architecture professionals and gave attendees valuable insight into the latest developments in the industry as well as providing a first-hand tour of some of the most innovative infrastructure within the city.
The first day of the conference saw frank discussion of current issues faced by landscape architects, as well as a plethora of talks delivered by leading figures within the profession.
On the second day, delegates were given the chance to view some of the surrounding infrastructure for themselves.
Site visits took place to showcase some of Manchester’s most innovative developments, including three of Hardscape’s projects: Salford University’s Peel Park Campus, Altrincham Town Centre and Sadler’s Yard, the heart of Manchester’s £800m NOMA redevelopment.
For the Peel Park Campus visit, Chris Podmore, lead partner at DEP Landscape Architecture, was on hand to give an overview of the £81m development at Salford University, focusing on the challenges involved in marrying the new university gateway with the extensive campus development.
Hardscape and Planit-IE provided visitors to Sadler’s Yard, part of the North West’s largest mixed-use regeneration scheme, with fascinating technical details on the materials and processes used on one of Manchester’s newest creative and inspirational public spaces.
Delegates were also given the chance to discover how historic market town Altrincham has been redefined with an ambitious regeneration programme that has increased property values and the prosperity of local businesses. The tour was led by Hardscape and Planit-IE.
Mathew Haslam commented on the conference, “It was fantastic to be involved in such an inspiring event, in one of the UK’s most exciting cities for infrastructure.
“We enjoyed having the opportunity to showcase some of our most impressive local schemes, giving delegates a unique insight into each development and how we played a part in bringing it to life.”
