The eco-terrazzo, prototyped and developed by Harris Bugg Studio co-founders Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg, was created from ultra-low-carbon green concrete and unusable crushed waste materials destined for landfill. The result, a surface with a 77% reduction in carbon emissions compared to traditional cement – the equivalent of 14 return flights from London to Barcelona.
Used in the sustainable, immersive and adaptive RHS Chelsea 2023 show garden for the Horatio’s Garden charity, won (their sixth) RHS Gold Medal and Best in Show Award. The garden also won a Gold Medal at the APLD International Landscape Design Awards.
The Surface Design Awards, part of Surface Design Show (SDS) are held at the Business Design Centre. The event brings together the best in new materiality for the built environment, providing the sector insight into the latest trends, new products and network with the industry. The Public Realm – Exterior Category covers the space around, between and within buildings that is publicly accessible, including streets, squares, parks and open spaces – to support or facilitate public life and social interaction.
Harris Bugg Studio’s eco-terrazzo
When polished, the recycled materials are transformed into a striking terrazzo finish, combining beautiful aesthetics, robust functionality, and addressing the need for eco-conscious materials in urban design.
The surface is completely flat, joint-free, and fully permeable designed over several months in response to the charity’s brief: to create a smooth, slip-free pathway. This permeability is essential, as it ensures the surface can handle rainwater while meeting the needs of patients with spinal injuries, providing pain-free movement for wheelchair users and hospital beds in the garden setting.
The paths formed a key element of Horatio’s Garden Chelsea and were designed to embody the charity’s mission to provide healing, accessible spaces for those living with spinal injuries. The space aimed to offer a peaceful garden sanctuary – an antithesis to the busy, clinical hospital environment where patients often spend many months on a shared ward, often with few moments of privacy.
Hugo Bugg, co-founder of Harris Bugg Studio, said; “The challenge was to design a surface that met the specific needs expressed by spinal injury patients during the nine months of consultation we conducted. Our goal was to ensure a pain-free experience for those in wheeled hospital beds or using wheelchairs, often for the first time. At the same time, we wanted to demonstrate that adaptive gardens, rather than being limiting, present exciting opportunities to rethink design possibilities and responses.”
Charlotte Harris, co-founder of Harris Bugg Studio, added: “We’re delighted to receive this Surface Design Award. By investing time and resources into rethinking traditional approaches, experimenting with new ideas, and being hands-on throughout the process, we are working to ensure our actions consistently reflect our progressive values.”