Constructing Minds

Construction has the highest suicide rate of all industries, with an average of two workers taking their own lives each working day. The garden is designed as a calming space to help those struggling with their mental wellbeing.

Crossing the threshold via a corten steel portico, the garden opens to a curved pathway and gentle planting. To the left, the Consultation Glade provides a private retreat for one-to-one counselling, while further along the path, the Inner Sanctuary, planted with pockets of wildflowers, is a place to feel secure and private.

The gentle babble of a stream echoes around the garden and is home to a dead-wood dam. Even the woodland floor is complete with fallen leaves, creating a feeling of authenticity.

The Wildflower Meadow is inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku (‘forest bathing’), based on the belief that time spent immersed in nature can bring rejuvenating benefits. The shape of the garden and Inner Sanctuary echoes the cell structure of an oak tree’s taproot, to create a feeling of being rooted to the environment.

The garden is promoting the construction industry charities Band of Builders and Mates in Mind.

Key plants: Achillea, ferns, rowan, birch

In support of:

• Band of Builders
• Mates in Mind