Groundwork Yorkshire Landscape Architecture

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  • Award Winning Design

    Award Winning Design

    We are thrilled to announce that two of Groundwork Yorkshire’s landscape transformations—St John’s Garden of Life and Hope in Goole and the Shipley Health and Wellbeing Centre—have been shortlisted for the 2026 Design Excellence Awards, being held this evening, Thursday 30th April. The awarding body is the prestigious Landscape Institute Yorkshire & Humber Regional Awards.These projects reflect our core mission of “Changing places, changing lives” by creating high-quality green spaces that improve health and foster community spirit.

    The St John’s Garden of Life and Hope has been shortlisted in the Place, Culture & Heritage category. Our design team transformed this site into a vibrant hub that strengthens Community Resilience. The project provides essential space for social connection and environmental protection.

    Key features include:
    Inclusive Gathering Spaces: A new community café and seating areas designed to reduce social isolation.

    Environmental Resilience: Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) and rain gardens that help manage local flood risks.

    Accessible Design: Level pathways that ensure every member of the Goole community can enjoy the garden.

    Enhancing health through design in Shipley

    Photo credit https://rbsarchitects.co.uk/
    Photo credit https://rbsarchitects.co.uk/

    Shortlisted for the Health and Wellbeing Award, the Shipley Health and Wellbeing Centre demonstrates the power of bringing “nature to the doorstep”. This landscape supports local residents by integrating nature directly into the healthcare environment.

    The project supports the community through:
    Therapeutic Landscapes: Specialist horticultural planting designed to provide a calm, restorative environment for patients and staff.

    Physical Activity Zones: Outdoor spaces that encourage movement and improve long-term physical health.

    Biodiversity Enhancements:Native planting schemes that support local wildlife while creating a beautiful setting.

    Both of these projects, plus many more, will soon be available to view in an upcoming  website portfolio, watch this space for an announcement soon.

  • Urban Forests: York’s Innovative Approach to Community Greening

    In the heart of Yorkshire, a quiet revolution is taking root—quite literally. Groundwork Yorkshire has been pioneering a transformative approach to urban landscaping that promises to reshape how we think about community green spaces, one micro-forest at a time.

    Recent collaborative efforts have seen two remarkable sites in York transformed through an innovative planting technique known as a Miyawaki forest, or ‘Micro-wood’. These compact ecological powerhouses represent more than just a gardening project; they’re a testament to community collaboration and environmental stewardship.

    The project has been a remarkable partnership spanning multiple Groundwork Yorkshire teams. From the community engagement squad to the landscape design specialists, and even Groundwork Pride, each group has played a crucial role in bringing these green spaces to life. What makes this initiative truly special is its deep-rooted community involvement.

    Approximately 160 local school children have been instrumental in this green transformation, working alongside York Council officers to plant two distinct sites—one in Bornholm and another in Rawcliffe. These young environmental champions are not merely spectators but active participants in urban ecological restoration.

    Developed by Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki, these micro-forests are far from ordinary plantings. They’re meticulously designed ecosystems that compress the complexity of a mature woodland into a compact area. Rich soil, native fungi, diverse shrubs, and a stratified tree canopy come together to create a rapid-growth, high-impact green space.

    Scientific research has shown that these micro-woods grow significantly faster than traditional forest plantings. This accelerated development means they can provide critical wildlife habitat and food sources much more quickly. Perhaps even more importantly, they serve as powerful carbon sinks and air purification systems, offering a direct, tangible method of combating climate change at a local level.

    As urban areas continue to expand and green spaces become increasingly precious, initiatives like Groundwork Yorkshire’s micro-woods offer a beacon of hope. They demonstrate that with creativity, community engagement, and scientific understanding, we can transform small patches of land into vibrant, living ecosystems.

    The York micro-woods are more than just trees in the ground—they’re seeds of environmental education, community resilience, and ecological restoration.