Building Beauty Awards success for Elephant Park

Elephant Park, a major regeneration project in Elephant and Castle for client Lendlease, has been awarded the Public Space Award at the 2023 Building Beauty Awards.

The awards, which were created by The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust and sponsored by Ballymore, celebrate the best of beautiful new architecture and spaces. Winners were announced at an awards ceremony on Friday at The Sea Containers in London. The event was chaired by Paul Finch and presented by Sir Ben Okri.

The evolution of this project over the years has been nothing short of awe-inspiring. Through the creation of human-scaled spaces, community involvement, and activation, the neighbourhood has been transformed into a thriving, verdant place that has been wholeheartedly embraced by all who live, work, and visit here.

The judges said the “project brings genuine, lasting improvements to the public realm in a neighbourhood that has come close in the recent past to being an urban dystopia, blighted by gargantuan post-war developments that became more and more oppressive as they fell into decay. This subtle network of green spaces has a redemptive, softening quality, that knits together a renewed townscape and holds out the promise of a more civilised future.”

Armel Mourgue, Partner at Gillespies, commented on the win, saying, “It has been 10 years since we first put pen to paper, designing what would become an exceptional natural setting where unforgettable stories and cherished memories will be made.”

Stephen Richards, Partner at Gillespies, added “For me this project represents the culmination of years of research and delivery at Gillespies into what makes great city places, and reveals our understanding of the role landscape design has in connecting everyone to a place that becomes very special to them, where they have space and time to create their own stories.”

This award recognition is a testament to Lendlease’s visionary brief and to the hard work and dedication of our team and co-consultants, who have created an extraordinary space that is not only beautiful but also makes a positive impact on the lives of those who visit it.

See the full list of winners here.

Read more about the Elephant Park project on our website.