A4 Hammersmith Flyover

There are few urban environments that are more devoid of life than under a city flyover. The Hammersmith Flyover is a popular pedestrian walkway but its positioning underneath the four-lane A4 and directly adjacent to the busy A219 meant that the area suffers from high levels of air pollution, as well as being a dark, grey and lifeless space.

As part of Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s Business Low Emission Neighbourhood initiative we were tasked with adding vibrancy to the area by creating a greener and cleaner environment for local pedestrians.

We did this by initially by installing 100m of 1m tall Hedera helix Woerner in custom built hardwood planters screens to form a folded, natural curtain over the existing guard rail - acting as the first line of defence against harmful PM10 pollution particles for pedestrians and cyclists. We also installed 11 large hardwood planters around the cycle lane with drought tolerant, shade loving plants to add an extra element of colour, form and foliage to an otherwise bland and grey urban space.

Our work was also accompanied by plant inspired artwork from Fieldwork Facility, whose help we appreciated in brightening up a dark grey urban area - turning the grey green as we say!