SGD Autumn Conference 2010


From Concept to Canopy Trees in time, space and place Saturday 9th October 2010, Imperial College, London
Booking Form Here	©Rick Darke

Consider a future world in which space, structure, function and place are defined primarily by plants – the most durable and largest of which are trees. These plants often establish the context, scale and biosystems of a site. They are highly significant in cultural, economic and emotional terms and demand the designer’s utmost respect. Trees also leave plenty of room for creative interpretation. Our inspirational line-up of speakers will present very different approaches to planting styles and ecologies – from wilder woodland to more ordered private garden spaces. They will share their passion for planting design – playing with mass and scale, planning longer term for conservation and heritage, and generating a dynamic mix of man-made and organic living systems that express the spirit of now and evolve with maturity.

The speakers for the SGD autumn 2010 conference are:
Tony Kirkham: Head of Arboretum at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He will discuss the design and engineering principles of the Rhizotron and Treetop Walkway, and how these might be applied to other sites, scales and purposes.
	©RBG Kew
Elizabeth Banks: Landscape Architect, President of the RHS. She will talk about her family’s garden at Hergest Croft, where she continues the last century’s tradition of planting newly introduced species.
	©RHS
Rick Darke: American environmentalist, plantsman, photographer and author. He believes that designed landscapes are most emotionally satisfying when they draw directly on regional ecology and cultural history.
	©Rick Darke
Julie Toll: Garden and Landscape Designer and former SGD Chair Her international practice includes projects in the UK and the Caribbean. Her passion is for cutting edge planting design that has a naturalistic flow and evolves over time.
	©Marianne Majerus
Chair for the day is Mike Calnan, Head of Parks and Gardens at the National Trust.
	©National Trust

Booking Form Here