Gunpowder Park: Barren Brownfield Transformed into Park for the People

Masterplan.

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Formerly a Royal Ordnance manufacturing and testing facility, Gunpowder Park was used to trial ever more powerful explosive and ballistic materials, including cordite and nitro-glycerine, for over 100 years, When the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority saw the opportunity to add the site to the vital green infrastructure it manages in London, it purchased the site and appointed LDA Design to bring the contaminated brownfield land back into use by transforming it into a new park.

We created sculptural wave mounds and a ‘blast meadow', to emulate the shockwaves of an explosion, planted with native shrubs, grasses and trees to create habitat for wildlife. A wooded ‘wilderness' and marshlands offer birdwatching opportunities from contemporary sculptural screens and hides built from contrasting ‘industrial' materials, such as Cor-Ten steel.

A sustainable design was crucial to our entire concept, minimising environmental impact by reducing the use of energy and resources. Recycled materials were used, where possible, in the construction and in the future management and maintenance plans. An imposing gabion wall and metal canopy form the main gateway to the park and to the Field Station. The gabion wall comprises recycled concrete and artwork that interprets the history of Gunpowder Park and even provides niches for bat roosts. The earth sheltered Field Station is a year round venue for arts, science and nature exhibitions and creative workshops.

Gunpowder Park is now a haven of tranquility, a rich and diverse landscape for people to enjoy, with wildlife thriving in this once barren place, in new habitats that emphasise the local character.

This inspiring park plays an important role in the regeneration of the Lee Valley, by delivering a ‘green lung' to an industrial area and encouraging investment in new communities as well as feeding into the context of the London 2012 Olympic Park.