Lea River Park

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RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The architectural practice 5th Studio - where Holbrook is Director - was commissioned to map out a strategy for the creation of a major new park for London in the Lower Lea Valley. The project guided the transformation of a working landscape into a new public realm, realising a 26-mile linear park stretching from the Olympic site to the Thames, with major areas of mixed development and infrastructure. It was exhibited at the 2014 International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: 5th Studio proposed that Lea Valley be 'conceived of as a CORNUCOPIA - a place that explores, humanises and celebrates the systems that support the city.' Rather than top-down masterplanning, the approach was 'to mend the existing through careful weaving with the new' (Building Design). This draws on Holbrook's ongoing design research in developing approaches to strategic thinking that explores the dynamic between architecture and the scale of infrastructure and landscape, particularly within conservation, environmental sustainability and complex regeneration projects. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: 5th Studio was commissioned by the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, the ODA, Design for London, the LDA and the Lea Valley Regional Park Authority for this project. It was exhibited at the Main Exhibition in the Kunsthal at the Biennale - a prestigious international event bringing together contemporary knowledge and experience in architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. For this work, the practice was awarded Masterplanning Architect of the Year at Building Design's annual Architect of the Year Awards, and the 2010 International Urban Landscape Silver Award.