Glendale secures landscaping package for the site of new supercomputer

Green space management specialist Glendale has secured the contract to deliver a £120,000 package of landscaping works on the three-acre site of the Met Office’s new supercomputer.  The package includes a 12-month ongoing maintenance plan.

The landscaping project, part of a wider construction contract managed by Wilmott Dixon, includes the creation of an orchard, installation of instant Yew hedging, seeding of wildflower meadows, semi-mature tree planting and pond planting.

The scheme will be planted with semi-mature specimens such as Medlar, English Oak and Scots Pine.  The orchard will feature a range of fruit trees including English favourites like Devonshire Quarrendon, Plymouth Pear and Cornish Gill Flower.

Another key feature of the project is the installation of a stone wall enclosing one side of the supercomputer complex.  Glendale’s team will complete the wall with planted pockets, lending the research facility a natural-looking finish, helping it blend in with the surrounding landscape.

The supercomputer is located at the Exeter Science Park.  To date, Glendale’s local team of landscaping experts has completed all of the landscaping projects at the science park, a site that aims to be a catalyst for growth in the south-west region.

Don Holmes, landscaping contract manager at Glendale, said: “We’re delighted to have been given the opportunity to complete the landscaping for this exciting new development that promises to place the UK at the forefront of weather prediction.

“The Exeter Science Park already makes such a great impact locally and this is another fantastic example of the boost in investment and expertise this site is bringing to the south-west.  We look forward to getting involved in other projects like this, showcasing our specialisms in landscape creation and development for construction projects in the science and technology sector”

The landscaping project starts in mid-June and is expected to finish in early August.