RHS Chelsea Flower Show London, Water Feature, Location, Landscape, Venue

Chelsea Flower Show Garden

Tour de Yorkshire garden, London, England, UK design by Alistair Baldwin

17 Jun 2014

RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden

DuPont Corian pools its talents to help the ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ garden by Alistair Baldwin win medals and awards at Chelsea

Design: Alistair Baldwin

Address: RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4SR, UK

June 2014 – In honour of the Grand Départ of the Tour de France taking place in Yorkshire, this year’s Welcome to Yorkshire garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show was designed by Alistair Baldwin to celebrate both a cycling theme and the beautifully diverse landscapes of the county. A key feature of the Silver medal and People’s Choice winning design was a spectacular water feature made from DuPont™ Corian® in an elegant elliptical shape, reminiscent of a velodrome.

Created by garden designer Alistair Baldwin, the garden was inspired by the landscapes of the UK’s largest county and included a wall made from Yorkshire Whitton Fell sandstone inset with recycled bicycle wheels. The varied planting reflected both rugged rural scenes and cultivated suburban gardens, and included ferns, grasses, deep purple iris, clipped yew and viburnum, and was crowned by a Hawthorn tree removed from National Trust as part of one of its conservation programmes in North Yorkshire.

An eye-catching feature of the garden was the 3m x 1.8m thermoformed pool made from DuPont™ Corian® in new Deep Nocturne, an intense jet black colour made with innovative DeepColour™ Technology from DuPont. When filled with water the pool had a bubble effect suggesting the spokes of a cycle wheel, while also offering a mirror finish to reflect the serenity of the garden.

At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014, Alistair Baldwin designed the Silver medal-winning ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ garden for Welcome to Yorkshire, featuring a pool made from DuPont™ Corian® in the new Deep Nocturne colour.

DuPont™ Corian® in Deep Nocturne was chosen for its depth of colour and durability, a solution ensuring both design flexibility and reliable performance. The fabrication of the pool, which involved five axis machined formwork and seamless assembly, was carried out by renowned experts Cutting Edge.

Alistair Baldwin explains, “For a while I have wanted to do something different at Chelsea and to create a feature based on the Golden Section Ellipse, a very simple and graceful expression of water. I have also wanted to work with Corian® for some time as I‘m fascinated by its versatility and finish. As a designer one is always looking for that ‘Holy Grail’ combination of properties.”

When Alistair was invited by Welcome to Yorkshire to create the ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ garden, this presented the ideal opportunity to work with the material in order to achieve the complex shape and finish of his particular vision for the pool.

“The design was developed very much in tandem with DuPont™ Corian®,” Alistair continues, “Part of the success of such a partnership between designer and maker is that an idea is enriched through that collaborative process, and the whole experience was outstanding in that regard. Working with a team so inventive and solutions-focussed was a real pleasure. It was also inspiring to learn about the new Deep Nocturne colour because the best way to get a pure reflection out of water is to contain it within an absolutely black vessel. The availability of the new DeepColour™ Technology was perfect timing, because it also made the design more durable for both the build-up and show itself.”

At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014, Alistair Baldwin (left, pictured with Gary Verity of WTY on the right)) won a prestigious Silver medal for ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ garden for Welcome to Yorkshire. The garden was also awarded the RHS People’s Choice Award for Artisan Garden. Photos courtesy of Welcome to Yorkshire, all rights reserved.

At the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014, Alistair Baldwin’s Silver medal-winning garden for Welcome to Yorkshire, featured an elliptical bubble a pool with a mirror effect surface, made from DuPont™ Corian® in new Deep Nocturne.

Alistair adds, “The public reaction to the garden was fantastic and it was exciting to see people gain a better understanding of what Corian® is and what it can do. The response to the size, scale and drama of the design was just terrific.”

Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire was also delighted with overall results, “Our Tour de Yorkshire Garden brought together all that is wonderful in our beautiful county with a unique twist to celebrate the arrival of the Tour de France in Yorkshire. What’s more Welcome to Yorkshire has continued its winning streak at Chelsea with a Silver medal and also the RHS People’s Choice Award for Artisan Garden.”

Among many proud ‘firsts’ DuPont™ Corian® was the first solid surface to enjoy a significant presence at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2008 and this is the second time it has been an integral part of a medal winning design. The pool in the ‘Tour de Yorkshire’ garden is another fine example of the ‘Endless Evolution’ of this ground-breaking material and one of several early applications exploring the beauty and versatility of the new deeper, darker colours.

DeepColour™ Technology* (a patent pending invention of DuPont) is an innovative manufacturing solution enabling the creation of dark solid surfaces with deeper, more intense and durable colour, improved wear performance, plus easier thermoforming, seaming and finishing. Four rich and robust new deep blacks were launched earlier this year and further sophisticated dark hues will be introduced to enhance the exclusive colour palette of DuPont® Corian®.

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About Alistair Baldwin
Based in rural North Yorkshire, Alistair Baldwin leads a team of talented designers, running a portfolio of exciting projects across the UK, from the Devon coast to the wilds of Fife. From small private gardens to expansive country estates, Alistair applies his unique take on the process of place making, through close working relationships with clients and colleagues. www.alistairwbaldwin.co.uk E: enquiries@alistairwbaldwin.co.uk

About Welcome to Yorkshire
Welcome to Yorkshire (WTY) is the official destination management organisation for Yorkshire, working to grow the county’s visitor economy. www.yorkshire.com/mediacentre
www.letouryorkshire.com

About DuPont Corian
First created as a high performance material for kitchen and bathroom worktops, DuPont™ Corian® – thanks to its unique combination of functionality, versatility and beauty – is now a leading global brand in surfacing materials for interior design and architecture. Over the years, DuPont™ Corian® solid surface has become an exceptional design tool for every application one can imagine. Kitchens, bathrooms, lighting, furnishing, facades, seating, radiators, home automation, touch control surfaces: today, DuPont™ Corian® can be found almost everywhere in Commercial, Residential and Public Space applications. (www.corian.co.uk)

To know more, and stay in touch with DuPont™ Corian®
www.corian.co.uk / www.endlessevolution.corian.com / Facebook.com/CorianDesign
Twitter.com/CorianDesign / Youtube.com/CorianDesign / Pinterest.com/CorianDesign

DuPont
DuPont has been bringing world-class science and engineering to the global marketplace in the form of innovative products, materials, and services since 1802. The company believes that by collaborating with customers, governments, NGOs, and thought leaders we can help find solutions to such global challenges as providing enough healthy food for people everywhere, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting life and the environment. For additional information about DuPont and its commitment to inclusive innovation, please visit www.dupont.com.

Chelsea Flower Show Garden Tour de Yorkshire garden by Alistair Baldwin images / information received 170614

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4SR

Location: RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4SR, UK