Historical layers – London Wall Place by Make Architects

Make Architects has completed work on its London Wall Place project in one of the largest garden undertakings in the City of London to date. As a result, a pair of office complexes surrounded by an extensive network of public gardens and walkways now connects the Barbican Centre with the City of London.

The city wall built around Londinium by the Romans acted as inspiration for Make Architects' design and explains the project's name. Make's work references the site's historical layers, including the period of post-war modernism, with the geometric arrangement of gardens and walkways tracing the course of the former city walls. Sections of the wall and St Alphage Church were restored in the process and made a central part of the project.

The Highwalk, a network of elevated pedestrian routes from the 1960s, was retained but given a complete make-over: no longer linear and rational in alignment, the walkways now weave and wind their way through the site, crossing over streets and waterways. The conglomerate of office buildings, gardens and pedestrian routes varies the microclimate, plus the garden design benefits greatly from the numerous plant species that contribute to the look of London Wall Place.