September 30, 2024

New public garden opens in White City Innovation District

Imperial College London President Hugh Brady has officially opened a stunning new public garden in the heart of White City Innovation District – marking the first permanent public space in White City Deep Tech Campus.

This new space – designed by award-winning landscape architects GROSS. MAX, – creates a unique and tranquil destination for Imperial staff, students and local businesses to enjoy time outdoors, offering large lawns, mature trees, and relaxing seating. Within its half-acre footprint, the garden includes several references to the landmark research and innovation activity taking place at White City Deep Tech Campus, with hexagonal shapes calling to mind chemical structures, and the two-layered hedgerow planting design informed by bilayer cell membranes.

In line with the College’s sustainability mission, Imperial’s own sustainability experts helped to carefully select the garden’s plants and trees, with each species chosen for its climate resilience and ability to adapt to a changing environment, as well as its potential to support local wildlife.

President Hugh Brady pictured with Chief Development Officer Sarah Cary and Associate Provost Martyn Boutelle at the official garden opening

“The rapid development of our White City Deep Tech Campus is bringing Imperial’s leading interdisciplinary research on AI, medtech, engineering biology and climate science to one of London’s most exciting, dynamic and fast-changing locations,” remarked Imperial’s President Hugh Brady at the garden’s official opening ceremony last week. “The next phase of our development will see further expansion in mathematics, data and computer sciences, AI and machine learning and business. Outdoor spaces like this new garden are as important as the labs and buildings that surround it. The new garden provides welcoming spaces for our students, colleagues, startups and local businesses to meet, host events and find inspiration.”

flourishing: WHITE CITY DEEP TECH CAMPUS

Around 5,000 Imperial staff, researchers and students, and employees of innovative businesses are currently based at the White City Campus, which incorporates Hammersmith Hospital Health Sciences Campus. The new garden will be a valuable amenity for the many researchers and staff based at Imperial’s School of Public Health, Molecular Sciences Research Hub and Sir Michael Uren Hub, as well as the vibrant start-up and scale-up communities of Scale Space and I-HUB.

The garden also offers a new space for the local community who already engage with Imperial’s activities at The Invention Rooms, which encompasses three unique spaces where the local community and Imperial come together to collaborate, innovate and make.

The Dangoor Reach Out Makerspace – a unique workshop and design studio which offers local residents and businesses the chance to get hands-on experience of making and prototyping. 

The Invention Rooms – which also includes the Advanced Hackspace and The Interaction Zone – has been providing cutting-edge facilities in a friendly and welcoming environment since first opening its doors in 2018. Established with the aim of inspiring new generations of inventors, entrepreneurs and makers from the local area and beyond, The Invention Rooms has connected with more than 4,300 local people.