‘Silence’ showgarden

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD) has announced the names of the Gold Award winners of its annual international landscape design competition. Wilson McWilliam is the only UK winner of a Gold Award, alongside eight landscape designers from the US. All winners will receive their awards at the APLD International Design Conference in Boston, MA (13-16 July 2017).

‘Silence’ is a dramatic, sculptural garden, selected for inclusion in the 2016 Singapore Garden Festival. Inspired by the natural world, the designers have abstracted individual elements, surfaces and materials to conjure up a surreal sense of detachment - a spiritual and atmospheric place created by juxtaposing simple combinations of hard and soft materials.

The central space is wrapped and formed by a monumental spiral of distressed concrete render – a protective curvature that creates a tranquil inner sanctum, infused with an inviting play of light and shadow. Morse Code messages punched into the fabric of the wall afford views of the intriguing space within. The entrance is obscured, creating a sense of drama as the visitor discovers the calm inner space.

Wilson McWilliam Studio is one of the country's leading garden design practices. Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam are award-winning designers of bespoke gardens and public landscapes. The studio is based in London, but the practice works across the South East and internationally at both garden and landscape scale. The studio has a growing reputation for delivering memorable places and experiences, designing imaginative, uplifting and carefully tailored landscape schemes for both residential and commercial clients. Recognised for their sharply detailed construction, elegant spaces and inspirational planting design, both Andrew and Gavin trained as landscape architects but share a passion for garden design and experimentation with materials and plant associations. The studio champions cross-fertilisation between both disciplines. Andrew is a Fellow and former Chairman of the Society of Garden Designers - a lecturer and respected author who regularly assesses and judges for the RHS, specialising in show gardens. Gavin originally studied Fine Art and brings a conceptual and artistic ethos to the commissions undertaken by the studio. He is a Chartered Member of The Landscape Institute.