One Hyde Park: The Residences at Mandarin Oriental, London – the iconic GB pound 500m development in the capital’s exclusive Knightsbridge district – ordered 14 of the planters from Plantscape, a leading supplier of floral features.
The surface-mounted self-watering planters, which have a strengthened core and are finished with a brushed stainless steel surround, have been installed outside a number of retail outlets on the building’s ground floor.
Mark Stone, Plantscape’s managing director, said that the task was far from straightforward, because of a sloping frontage outside the building, which meant that every planter had to be individually designed to ensure that they created a level display. The company completed the job in just one month.
Stone said: “One Hyde Park is the latest iconic building enhancing London’s skyline and we are delighted that our planters have been chosen as part of this exciting scheme.
“We are on a mission to prove that protecting a building doesn’t mean doing things the ugly way and these planters are the result of an extensive R&D process aimed at creating attractive products that are capable of resisting fierce attacks.
“We’re delighted with the finished product. They provide a touch of greenery and add to the exclusive air of the development, while providing a robust defence that offers peace of mind.”
Grotesque ostentation?
No expense has been spared in building the ridiculous and ostentatious One Hyde Park, which is the brainchild of property developers the Candy Brothers. Property costs GB pound 6,000 per sq m and prices range from GB pound 6.5m for a one-bedroom apartment to GB pound 140m for a penthouse.
Residents can enjoy a private cinema, a 21m swimming pool and a virtual games room, while staff at the next door five star Mandarin Oriental hotel are on call 24 hours a day.
Fifteen different types of stone and marble from Turkey, Italy, Brazil, China and Egypt were used in its construction, while GB pound 50m was spent on shimmering concrete and limestone aggregate alone.
Plantscape, which is based Ashbourne, Derbyshire, supplies floral features to organisations up and down the country and is no stranger to decorating London landmarks, having installed planters in Leicester Square, on Tower Bridge and next to Marble Arch.
Its security product range also includes anti-terrorist planters which have been successfully tested to the BSI PAS 68 standard and are capable of stopping a 7.5 ton truck travelling at 30mph.
