PROJECT

Brookside Clinic – Winner CPA 2022-2023 Stars under 30

DESIGN

Rachel Platt Garden Design

CONTRACTOR

PBC Landscapes

KLEIKLINKER

SeptimA Auburn

(wild bond)

Photography: © Rachel Platt

Brookside Clinic’s recently completed garden, known as “The Covid Recovery Garden,” has transformed a once ordinary entryway into a healing, sustainable oasis. Designed with a vision of restoration, serenity, and ecological mindfulness, the garden integrates the SeptimA Auburn clay pavers, enhancing the aesthetic appeal while maintaining an ecological balance. This project earned the prestigious Clay Paver Award 2022-2023 in the "Stars Under 30" category, highlighting its success as both a community endeavor and a sustainable design model, designed by a young potential.

The vision behind the design concept

The garden, initially featured at the RHS Tatton Park, was created to represent the healing and resilience required during the COVID-19 pandemic. After the garden’s successful showcase, it was generously donated to Brookside Clinic, where it was reassembled around the clinic’s main entrance to serve as a tranquil, inviting space for both patients and staff. The design concept is inspired by the Caduceus, the ancient medical symbol depicting two serpents winding around a staff. Here, the central feature—a transparent circular arbour representing the staff's top—offers a year-round sheltered space for patients and staff to relax and socialize. The curved pathways, alternately laid with the warm-toned SeptimA Auburn clay pavers and Verdigris look porcelain paving, mimic the entwining snakes and add visual softness and warmth to the space, guiding visitors through the garden’s restorative areas.

A symbolic and functional design

Every element of Brookside’s garden has a purpose. The arbour roof gives shelter in the rain and is planted with sedum, which stores water in its leaves and can endure varying weather conditions. Next to the arbour and symbolizing the center of the Caduceus, a steel rill captures the rainwater, with pebbles in it so wildlife can get in and out. The rill is perforated to allow for overflow into a rain garden, channeling the water into the garden. At the bottom of the Caduceus, at the entrance of the garden, a multi-stem tree is adorned with messages of support and remembrance. Underneath, a sculpture inspired by the COVID-19 spike protein represents recovery and resilience—a tribute to those who have battled and overcome adversity.

Sustainable and ecological impact

The Brookside Clinic garden prioritizes sustainability. The rain garden not only collects water but also filters it, allowing for natural infiltration back into the soil. Decking made from recycled composite materials is featured throughout, reducing the garden’s ecological footprint. Air-purifying plants have been carefully incorporated to improve air quality, and as many plants and materials from the original show garden as possible were reused to minimize waste.

The choice of SeptimA Auburn clay pavers by Vande Moortel also reflects a commitment to both durability and design. These clay pavers offer a timeless quality that harmonizes with the natural landscape, adding a warm, earthy color that complements the garden's aesthetic. Notably, Vande Moortel’s pavers are produced sustainably and have a long lifecycle of over 160 years, making them an ideal choice for the project’s environmental goals. The SeptimA clay paver is an ECO-7-size formatted clay paver, which means that they have a thickness of 7 cm. This size of clay paver is therefore ecologically optimized and energy efficient, as they are produced using less energy, less raw materials and thus limiting the CO2 emission by 30%, with the same lifespan and quality as a conventional format.

The base for the clay pavers consists of a 100 mm sub-base, 20 to 25 cm of crushed stone, which is applied in 2 layers and compacted, and 30 mm of bedding sand. The pavers are laid on edge with a 3mm maximum joint, for optimal water permeability. This 100% natural, water permeable base facilitates natural infiltration of water into the soil and emphasizes the sustainable character of the paving.

Winning the Clay Paver Award 2022-2023 in the "Stars Under 30" category underscores the success and ingenuity of Brookside Clinic’s garden project. This award celebrates Rachel Platt, a young designer who implemented this vision, bringing healing to a community space with a commitment to both ecology and wellness. By transforming an entryway into a space of beauty, recovery, and reflection, Brookside Clinic’s garden project not only enhances the aesthetic value of the clinic but serves as a living symbol of resilience and sustainability for all who visit.