Community Garden
Tucked away behind the warehouses, a triangle of once-derelict wasteland has been transformed into a thriving community garden, designed in consultation with our neighbours and local community.
The huge, slightly off-kilter triangle of space, with the railway access path on one side, and the railway line on the other, overlooked by Yorkhill flats is now a thriving green space.
A space for everyone
Across several years, we held various intensive – and creative – consultation processes with local residents and Propagate, where we asked for their thoughts and views on what the space should be for. Through surveys, canvassing, workshops and a garden party held in the grounds, we collated wisdom on everything from bees to biodiversity, and walkways to wildfires.
Designed by, and for, the local community, the SWG3 Garden is a truly shared space. Open from 10am till 5pm every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday until November – when it will close for winter. It's a 3,200m2 hidden haven for growing, planting, playing, creating and relaxing; for drinking coffee on a winter morning, sowing seeds on a spring evening, making art on a summer afternoon.
Breaking ground
We appointed head garden designer Jeremy Needham to take charge of the garden development, and the first sign of life was a significant one. Since The New York Times’ Climate Hub, hosted at the venue during COP26, Jeremy has been lovingly looking after a miniature forest of indigenous plants and trees, donated by the global institution following a powerful installation in our Galvanizers space by artist Es Devlin.
In amongst all this, a team of engineers got to work and drilled 125 metre boreholes into the ground to facilitate our BODYHEAT system, the wildly innovative new technology which will see us convert heat given off by people attending clubs and gigs at the venue to be used as a circular, sustainable way of heating and cooling the space.
The bigger picture
The garden was made possible thanks to generous funding from the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund, the UK Community Renewal Fund and VKR Foundation. As well as addressing a known demand for public greenspace and growing space in the area, the garden is also a key part in our own plans as a venue to become net-zero, and to significantly enhance our local area. Find out more about SWG3's vision for the future.
