The landscape design approach is focussed on establishing an appropriate landscape setting to the new Laboratory Science Teaching Hub building, through the treatment of the external spaces around the building and the selection of specific materials and landscape treatments. The landscape design approach incorporates the following features:
• The creation of a primary pedestrian link connecting Library Square to the Zoology Building north of St Machar Drive, forming the key public realm component of the design layout. Narrow bands of light coloured block paving align with the profiled concrete panels on the building elevation, creating a geometric pattern reflecting the order and rigor of the building façade.
• Blocks of formal hedging and a line of semi mature avenue trees define the western edge of the pedestrian link adjacent to the open parkland and are related to simple concrete benches either side of the blocks of hedging, offering a different aspect and outlook for users.
• A raised table is provided as a pedestrian crossing where the primary pedestrian route crosses the access road to the service yard, to indicate pedestrian priority over vehicles at this point. The pattern of linear bands of paving is continued across this raised table, reflecting the appearance of a ‘zebra crossing’.
• A common service yard is provided to the east of the Teaching Hub Building, serving the new building as well as the existing surrounding buildings. This will have a utilitarian character reflecting its function.
• In preparation for a future building the parkland will be lowered to achieve uniform slope profiles across the area related to the levels of the existing footpaths which bound the site Existing trees at the north-west corner of the site are removed, with replacement trees being introduced at the south-west corner of the site to continue their contribution to the wider streetscape character. An amenity grass mix is introduced to reinstate this area as open parkland.