Latest news with #TomStuart-SmithStudio
The Herald Scotland
12-06-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
New Edinburgh public gardens project lands £2.85m donation
Work on the £8.4m landscaping project is due to get underway within the next few months as part of plans to create a £69m National Centre for Music at the former Royal High School, one of the city's most prominent historic landmarks, by 2027. Read more: The £2.8m donation is the second major funding boost for the project in the space of six months after it secured a £5m pledge from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Most of the backing for the new cultural centre, which will have three indoor performance spaces, has pledged by an American arts philanthropist, Carol Colburn Grigor, through her Dunard Fund charity. The proposed grounds of the National Centre for Music in Edinburgh. (Image: Tom Stuart-Smith Studio) It was announced last year that award-winning landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith was masterminding what is planned to become the most significant new green spaces in the heart of the Scottish capital since the creation of Princes Street Gardens in the 1820s. The Royal High School Preservation Trust, the charity pursuing the project, which will include a new indoor concert hall in the heart of the building, has pledged that the new gardens will be open to the public every day and free to access. The grounds of the new National Centre for Music in Edinburgh are planned to be open to the public throughout the year. (Image: Tom Stuart-Smith Studio) The Julia Rausing Trust, which was created in 2014, became one of the UK's biggest philanthropic funds. Although Ms Rising passed away last year, her husband Hans has pledged that it will continue in her memory and will be distributing around £100m a year. The trust will be supporting the east garden at the Calton Hill site, which will feature more than 200 varieties of flowering trees, flowers and grasses. The pavilion in the east garden will host horticultural and environmental talks, and showcase 'the story of Scotland's rich and diverse fauna.' The new National Centre for Music is expected to open in 2027. (Image: Richard Murphy Architects) Simon Fourmy, director of the Julia Rausing Trust, said: 'The transformation of the former Royal High School in Edinburgh into a new National Centre for Music is a remarkable project and it is exciting to see a new public garden created as part of this initiative. 'Supporting heritage for the benefit of all was an important part of Julia Rausing's giving and together with her interest in horticulture and love of gardens, make this a fitting project to support as part of her continuing legacy.' Tom Stuart-Smith said: 'The overall design of these gardens aims to highlight the extraordinary architectural setting of not only the building but also Edinburgh, creating a tranquil retreat accessible for everyone and recognised as an outstanding destination in the city centre.' Kate Smith, development director at the Royal High School Preservation Trust, said: 'The gardens will be an extremely important feature of the new National Centre for Music. 'They will have health and wellbeing at their heart and create an urban oasis for the whole community to enjoy. 'The old Royal High School building is one of the most important neoclassical buildings in Scotland and the gardens will form the perfect frame for the exciting new musical hub planned for the building.'
Time Out
16-05-2025
- General
- Time Out
Tate Britain has unveiled designs for its leafy new Clore Garden – featuring a wildlife pond and sculptures
The space around Tate Britain at Millbank is set to undergo a major green transformation – and now we've got a taste of how it will look, after seeing first-stage designs for the revamp of the gallery's outside area. Developed by landscape architect Tom Stuart-Smith Studio and architects Feilden Fowles, who were selected for the project last year following an open competition, the new Clore Garden has been 'carefully designed to complement and enhance the gallery's neo-classical architecture and withstand the UK's changing climate'. It will feature pathways navigating flowers, trees and a wildlife pond, as well as a reimagined café terrace and a freestanding classroom to host school groups and adult learners, in addition to an area for outdoor programmes and activities. The plans were made in partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) with funding from the Clore Duffield Foundation. The garden will also feature sculptures by British artists from Tate's collection as well as integrated seating, an interactive water feature and bench circle. 'These innovative designs demonstrate the role museums can play in our cities, places where contemplation and relaxation can go hand in hand with joy and creativity,' said Alex Farquharson, Director, Tate Britain. 'We hope the garden will offer new ways to engage with Tate's Collection, for both visitors and local residents alike.'
