City'Scape Awards 2025

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20th June 2025 - We are delighted to announce that The Water Gardens, Hyde Park Estate, London - has received international recognition from the National Council of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservators (CNAPPC) in Italy winning first place (category M) at the City'Scape Awards 2025; an award that recognises high-tech innovation in green roof design.  

Earlier this month Cristina hopped on a plane to Milan to join an international cohort of landscape architects for a two-day symposium at the Triennnale di Milano and was honoured to pick up (another) award for this special project. 

The judges remarked:
"The restoration of The Water Gardens revitalizes a historic podium roof garden in central London into an exemplary model of sustainable retrofit. Featuring restored SuDS, green roofs, rainwater harvesting and reuse, the project delivers environmental value, wellbeing and biodiversity. Its interplay of water, planting, and architecture creates a resilient urban space and a forward-thinking approach to landscape restoration in dense city contexts."

The symposium and award ceremony were organised and hosted by Paysage and the international magazine TOPSCAPE. There are 16 thematic categories and this year saw an impressive 260 projects entered into the competition from all over the world, from Taiwan to Colombia.

"It means a great deal to be recognised by my native country," remarked Cristina Refolo, "We need to build resilient cities that not only serve the environment but also provide socio-economic benefits to people. I truly believe that nature-based water management and green infrastructure are the solution for the future. We are excited to watch Milan become a Sponge City that sets the standards for the rest of Europe, and indeed the world."