Between 1960 and 1980, the area of London most devastated by WW2 bombing was redeveloped into a new city quarter called The Barbican. Beech Gardens, which forms part of the development, was laid out in the 1970s. “Prior to the completion of this project, the gardens’ shrub-planted podium areas were dull and lacklustre, offering minimal seasonal or visual interest,” said Adrian Wikeley FLI, Chair of the College of Fellows. “This project successfully refreshed the external podium garden, delivering a new landscape that is adapted to climate change and one which offers exceptional seasonal benefits, all delivered at minimal cost.”Importantly the project sets a new precedent for the adaptation and retro-fitting of post-war housing developments. This scheme offers residents enormous seasonal change, visual delight and wellbeing benefits – much needed in this dense, urban, inner-city environment. Climate-change projections suggest an increased frequency of extreme hot and dry summers in the future and Wikeley praised the design for aiming to create a landscape that is ‘future-proofed’ and climate-adapted. “The project design cleverly responds to the unique micro-climate issues of The Barbican – where tall buildings cast intense shade –through planting and a species selection which responds to these difficult conditions,” he said.The lessons from this project would be directly transferable to similar post-war estates countrywide, helping to enhance the health and wellbeing of estate residents.