Newnham Courtyard, Cambridge

An APL award winning city courtyard of a modernised Cambridge house. The brief – create a sense of drama to echo the architecture, an extension of the sitting room with space for entertaining. A large outbuilding offered an important focal point, framed with zinc clad planters backed with translucent screens and a vertical planted panel creating depth. Boundary fences were given a contemporary treatment and the planting is multi season, textured and scented. Subtle lighting accents the scheme at night.

This compact courtyard garden was awarded an APL Silver Merit in their Designer of Year 2020 category, the judges commenting: 'Really great elements of design work by Melanie Driver. Very comprehensive.'

The contractors won a Gold award in the Overall Design & Build category, the judges noting that the site was difficult to work with due to the tight access and amount of construction required.