Past Projects

Irrigation Systems for Landscape & Amenity Plantings

Our work in this sector, although a small part of our total business, is nonetheless substantial.
We have built our reputation in this sector, as in others, by solving problems. This involves looking at the whole of a customer’s circumstances, and evolving solutions which are effective, manageable and good value for money.

Examples of our past work

We have recently installed capillary matting beds up to 26 metres wide x 100 metres long.

These also harvest rainwater cleanly, thereby eliminating water bills and water treatment costs. See below.

Foster Associates - landscaping for new head offices. Supplied and installed equipment to establish very large trees rapidly in difficult circumstances.

Vision Park, Cambridge (formerly the site of two factories, with heavily polluted soil) - drip irrigation to establish landscape planting, and leach toxic residues so that they would be locked up below the root zone..

Milton Keynes Shopping Centre - rebuild the irrigation system in 47 beds along two half mile arcades with full public access. We dose the very hard water, to make fertilizer “available”, so that plants can flourish. Three men were employed hand watering virtually full time. Now hand watering is occasionally required.

British Airports Authority, Head Office building, Victoria, London - a six-storey atrium had been equipped with a capillary system which had deteriorated, creating some 640 leaks. Our work was limited to rebuilding the entire system with appropriate joints and seals, and proving that the basic physics of the original concept could be made to operate. Problems of water quality remain to be addressed.

British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. High Security Offices - 23 roof gardens, including fully automatic monitor/controllers for the irrigation systems.

The Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts, University of Norwich - 1.5 acres of “grass roof’ over a new display and facilities area. We are told that this is one of the largest grass roofs in Europe. Total design depth was 9’ of which only 4” are available for the turf We have many years experience of the development and application of lightweight growing media in the commercial horticultural sector.

Ministry of Defence, Gruinard Island - elimination of anthrax. Design, prove, install and commission equipment for “pickling” unimproved hill moor to a depth of up to 1m without splashing, runoff or siphoning through. The equipment had to be capable of handling a variety of sterilants, and working with sea water. Re-seeding was possible after three weeks.

A private garden near Chertsey - a client’s well had been sunk into running sand. The pH of the water was 3.3. It contained 199 ppm of aluminium, over 16 ppm of iron, and a lot of sulphate. A treatment plant had been installed, but had produced a reaction which lined the entire irrigation system with sulphate cement. We have removed the running sand, stabilised the pipework, cleaned the valves and sprinklers, and made the filtration system work.

Mobil Oil, Chelmsford - design, supply and commission equipment to “compost” a diesel oil leak which has contaminated an area, surrounded by houses, measuring 55 x 35 x 13 metres deep. The system was laid under the concrete apron of the filling station. Natural bacteria were encouraged to complete the work in about 6 weeks.

After all that, it may come as some relief to learn that our main business is about helping plants to flourish, within a budget. If that appeals to you, please enquire.