- Location
- Sunderland
- Sectors
- Civic & Cultural
Culture House presented an opportunity to create a new civic garden above Sunderland, extending the life of the building into the open air and making the most of far reaching views across a changing cityscape. The ambition was greater than creating an attractive roof terrace. The landscape needed to become an integral part of the visitor experience, offering space for people to meet, pause, read, gather and take part in cultural activity throughout the day and into the evening.
ONE designed the Sky Garden as a generous outdoor room shaped by planting, seating and views. Trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials create structure, texture and seasonal change, while large planters and integrated seating establish a series of comfortable spaces for individuals, families and groups.
The arrangement supports everyday use while retaining the flexibility to host community events, creative workshops, informal performances and outdoor cinema screenings. Carefully considered lighting extends the use of the garden through darker months and evenings, revealing the planting in a different way and creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere after sunset.
Strong visual connections through the building allow the garden to become part of the wider Culture House experience, drawing nature into the interior and encouraging people to move outside.
Everyday seating, performance and activity layouts
Event breakout and group activity layouts
Roof landscapes are most successful when they are designed as places in their own right, rather than treated as decorative terraces. At Culture House, planting provides much more than visual interest. It gives structure and identity to the space, supports biodiversity, introduces seasonal change and creates a more comfortable setting for people.
The landscape demonstrates how an elevated garden can contribute to civic life, providing a distinctive place for culture and community while opening up new views and experiences of the city.
Design intention
Completed landscape
Outcome
The Sky Garden creates a nature-rich and inclusive civic space at the heart of Culture House. It offers a calm counterpoint to the activity within the building while supporting a varied programme of public and cultural use.
Rich planting, flexible seating and views across Sunderland give the garden a clear identity throughout the year. During darker months and evenings, lighting brings another dimension to the landscape and enables the space to remain active beyond the daytime programme.
Project Highlights
- Civic & Cultural
- Roof Landscape
- Public Realm
- Seasonal Planting
- Social Seating
- Flexible Cultural & Community Use
- Evening Lighting
- Interior-Landscape Connection
More images
12 images in this project
Projects
similar one projects
The Light
The former Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery had been closed for several years, leaving an important public building and its landscape without a clear future.
St Leonard’s Catholic School
St Leonard's required a major partial redevelopment after RAAC and wider condition issues made a significant proportion of the existing school accommodation unsafe.
