Nigel Dunnett

Last updated

Nigel Dunnett FLI FRSA RDI (born 1962 [1] ) is a British horticulturalist and professor of planting design and urban horticulture at the University of Sheffield. [2] [3] He has worked on naturalistic planting design, sustainable urban drainage landscapes, and green infrastructure projects working with landscape architects.

Contents

Career

In 1984, he completed his degree in Botany at the University of Bristol and following the completion of his PhD, joined the Department of Landscape at the University of Sheffield in 1994. He became Professor of Planting Design and Urban Horticulture in 2011. [3] [1] His teaching and research focus on ecological planting design, green roofs, rain gardens, and large-scale urban meadows.

He founded Pictorial Meadows in 1998, [4] it was developed into a seed-based approach to colourful, low-maintenance urban meadows that has since been widely adopted in public landscapes. [5] [6] [7]

He has collaborated widely with other designers and ecologists, notably James Hitchmough, and has contributed to projects in the United Kingdom and abroad. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Works

Olympic Gold Meadows

At the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London (2012), Dunnett co-designed large wildflower meadows and naturalistic planting schemes with James Hitchmough and garden designer Sarah Price. [10] The Guardian noted their role in transforming perceptions of ecological planting in public landscapes and described them as "a blaze of colour and biodiversity, timed to perfection for the opening ceremony." [12]

The project received international coverage in TIME magazine emphasised visual impact, positive public response and ecological significance. Sonia van Gilder Cooke stated, "Olympic spectators can't stop taking pictures of them. Passersby point when they see them. They've even generated fan mail. They're British wildflowers, and they are earning golden reviews at Olympic Park." [13]

The scheme has since been credited with influencing approaches to urban planting in Britain [10] and abroad. [6] [14]

Grey to Green Project

The Grey to Green EU-funded project [15] in Sheffield (2016–2020) was developed after the city’s 2007 floods, converting 1.6km of former highways into Europe’s largest retrofitted sustainable drainage scheme. [16] The planting design by Nigel Dunnett working with Zac Tudor of Sheffield City Council [17] and Robert Bray Associates as adviser on the sustainable urban drainage, [18] it combines flood mitigation with biodiversity and public realm improvements. [19] [15]

The project was awarded the CIRIAInaugural Awards overall winner. [20] It was praised as a “national green champion” at the Green Apple Awards and cited by the EU Climate-ADAPT as “a climate adaptation exemplar.” [15] and the CEEQUAL’s “Most Outstanding Achievement" in 2016. [21]

Barbican Estate, Beech Gardens and The High Walk

At the Barbican Estate, Beech Gardens and The High Walk in London (2015), he led the redesign of the podium landscapes with the Landscape Agency, [22] introducing climate-resilient planting to address chronic waterproofing and maintenance problems. The scheme has since been recognised with awards from the Landscape Institute for its innovation in planting design. [2] [22]

Tower of London Superbloom

At the Tower of London Superbloom (2022), Dunnett designed the planting for the historic moat as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Working with Grant Associates for Historic Royal Palaces, the scheme involved sowing about 20 million seeds across 14,000 m² to produce seasonal displays that changed in colour and form through the summer. [23] Described as a transformation to “a spectacular river of flowers” filling the moat [24] and it was intended as the first stage in a long-term plan to create a permanent naturalistic landscape in the heart of the City of London. [25]

Grosvenor Square

At Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, London (due for completion in 2026), Dunnett is leading the planting design for a major transformation of one of the city’s historic garden squares. Working with Tonkin Liu [26] [27] , BDP, Davies White and ecologist Gary Grant for Grosvenor, [28] the scheme will expand planting areas from about 140 m² to 8,000 m², with over 70,000 plants, 44 new trees and 80,000 bulbs. [29] Grosvenor has described the project as creating “an extraordinary urban garden” designed for climate resilience, stormwater capture, and biodiversity gain. [30]

Publications

Research papers

Awards and accolades

References

  1. 1 2 "Dunnett, Nigel (P.) 1962(?)– | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  2. 1 2 3 "Professor Nigel Dunnett awarded Royal Designer for Industry 2023". sheffield.ac.uk. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  3. 1 2 "Dunnett, Nigel, Professor". sheffield.ac.uk. 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  4. "About Us". www.pictorialmeadows.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  5. Pearson, Dan (2011-08-13). "Pastoral care". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  6. 1 2 Perrone, Jane (2014-07-24). "Poppy fields forever: meadows take root amid Britain's urban sprawl". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  7. Pearson, Dan (2007-04-15). "Full seed ahead". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  8. Benton, Carlos Sanchez and Tom (2024-09-16). "Contacts Book: Sanchez Benton's most valued collaborators". www.ribaj.com. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  9. Espinoza, Javier (2011-04-28). "Friday Night, Saturday Morning: British Planting Designer and Academic Nigel Dunnett Relaxes Outdoors". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  10. 1 2 3 Foster, Clare (2022-07-14). "Olympic Park designer Nigel Dunnett on how to plant in tough urban environments". House & Garden. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  11. "Biodiverse planting from Olympic Park garden designer Nigel Dunnett". Gardens Illustrated. 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  12. Appleby, Matthew (2012-07-20). "Gardens: wildflowers at the Olympic Park". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  13. Cooke, Sonia van Gilder (2012-08-07). "London in Full Bloom: Wildflowers Are Breakout Stars at Olympic Park". Time. ISSN   0040-781X . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  14. "This star British gardener has big plans for Melbourne". Australian Financial Review. 2025-01-27. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  15. 1 2 3 "Grey to Green Street Design". climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu. 2024-11-08. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  16. Hayes, Dan (2022-11-28). "Grey to Green: Sheffield's transformational flood defence scheme". The Architects’ Journal. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  17. "Greener cities". Welcome To Sheffield. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  18. "Grey to Green: Flood risk and regenerating Sheffield Urban | UK100". www.uk100.org. 2022-10-31. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  19. admin (2024-09-06). "The Greening of Sheffield: A Grey to Green SuDs Success Story". Green Estate. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  20. "SuDS success celebrated at inaugural Awards 2018". CIRIA. Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA ). Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  21. "Grey to Green scheme brings 'active travel' to Sheffield". Environment Analyst UK. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  22. 1 2 3 "Winners announced in prestigious Landscape Institute Awards - Landscape Institute". 2018-11-22. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  23. "Access Restricted". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  24. Collins, Matt (2022-05-06). "'A once in a century experience' – all rise for the Tower of London's Jubilee Superbloom". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  25. "Tower of London's moat to be filled with wildflower meadow". BBC News. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  26. Twinch, Emily. "Tonkin Liu submits plans for Grosvenor Square". Building Design. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  27. Youde, Kate (2022-06-16). "Tonkin Liu gets green light for 'radical' overhaul of Grosvenor Square". The Architects’ Journal. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  28. Prynn, Jonathan (2025-06-05). "Mayfair's Grosvenor Square to close for more than a year for 'radical' makeover". The Standard. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  29. "Grosvenor Square in Mayfair to become wildlife haven". BBC News. 2025-06-03. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  30. "Plans to transform Grosvenor Square into extraordinary urban garden submitted". www.grosvenor.com. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  31. Keen, Mary (2019-03-16). "Naturalistic perennial planting: the low-effort, high impact gardening technique we should all be trying". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  32. 1 2 3 "Meet the designer of the Hospitalfields Arts Garden in the Show category at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2025 / RHS". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  33. "A sneak preview of the gardens shaking up the Chelsea Flower Show". www.ft.com. The Financial Times. 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  34. 1 2 Ryan, Ciaran. "BBC - Chelsea Flower Show 2011 - RBC New Wild Garden - Nigel Dunnett". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  35. 1 2 "A look back over the Royal Bank of Canada's past five years at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2016 / RHS". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  36. "Greening Grey Britain Garden". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-09-13.
  37. "At the Chelsea Flower Show 2025, an innovative coastal garden makes waves". Wallpaper*. 2025-05-19. Retrieved 2025-09-12.
  38. "Welcome to the LI's newest Fellows - Landscape Institute". 2020-07-20. Retrieved 2025-09-13.