Vectorworks

Wendy Allen is a landscape designer based in London and Wiltshire. She specialises in sustainable design, which is she believes, not all about "straw bales and wellies." A long term Vectorworks 2D user, Wendy came to us to help her make the most of her transition to 3D. This project was the perfect opportunity. Wendy was designing a garden for Hampton Court which would help her demonstrate the purpose of a rain garden.

There is no doubt that global warming is happening, with weather extremes making the headlines, in particular, major rainfall events, causing mass flooding! In fact, in the UK, the floods during the summer of 2007 caused 3 billion pounds of damage. And yet, with urbanisation on the increase, paving the front garden has become a popular option for those needing to keep cars in urban areas.

Wendy wanted to harness the power of the rain and produce a front garden which was both innovative and kind to the environment. Using the idea of the "rain chain" whereby the water is not hidden in ugly plastic pipes, but dispersed along a reclaimed metal chain, she came up with a design which would use the water at each stage of its fall.

Firstly, the water hits the green roof above the parking area, where it is stored within the Lindum Turf green roof storage area. In the case of a flash flood, this water spills over to the water butt, also made from reclaimed metal. Next it falls into a depression within the rain garden floor, which allows the water to dissipate naturally, on site.

How did Vectorworks help?

• Area Calculations: Using built-in worksheets to calculate the area of the roof, and the amount of run-off the roof surface will generate in heavy storm water. Wendy could then ensure that the water butt and rain garden "soakaway" could be designed with sufficient volume.

• Hardscape: Using the hard landscaping tools, Wendy could keep track of materials used in the design and monitor costs against budget.

• Site Model: Although the site is small and easy to manage, using the site modelling capabilities together with cut and fill reports was invaluable to Wendy to ensure her design for the soakaway would be sufficient for storm water.

• Planting: Using the planting tools for both the roof garden and the rain garden enabled Wendy to extract exact quantities of plants directly from the drawing.

• 3D Model and Rendering: Using the hybrid design environment within Vectorworks meant that while Wendy was working on the plan, she was also creating a 3D Model simultaneously. With just a little extra work to apply textures and lighting, the 3D visual was available!

Passing the test?

Well, the best test of a rain garden is a 100 year rainfall event. Fortunately, Hampton Court Flower show was able to oblige with Gala Night throwing an enormous storm onto the space. The garden stood the test of the elements, but the design also stood up to the judges, with Wendy awarded a Gold Medal and Best Sustainable Garden.