From The Ground Up Dig into their First Co-design with Bemrose Primary School in the East Midlands 

Photo: Shaun Taylor

This winter, From The Ground Up Studio invite the children of Bemrose Primary School to reimagine the landscapes of their future. Tasked with envisioning the world of 2050, the students will explore how we can revive both human and more-than-human communities, designing spaces where nature and people don’t just coexist, but thrive together. We are thrilled to collaborate with From The Ground Up, a workers Co-operative studio dedicated to bridging the gap between people and the natural bio-systems we depend on. Their practice – built on the belief of fostering a culture celebrating a “constellation of things” – repositions humans as the non-dominant force, in hopes to repair our relationship with the planet. 

The Brief: Reviving Human & More-than-human Landscapes  

The studio’s co-design brief, titled COMMONLAND, confronts a stark reality: the UK is now “one of the most nature depleted countries on earth.” Since 1970, we have lost 54% of the distribution of flowering plant species – plants vital to sustaining biodiversity. This decline is largely driven by intensive agricultural practices and the escalating effects of climate change.  

Simultaneously, the demand for accessible green spaces has surged by 300% since the pandemic, highlighting a collective longing for connection with nature (National Trust). The challenge posed by From The Ground Up is urgent yet hopeful: How can children play a part in designing with natural bio-systems to benefit people, plants, and the planet?  

Over a series of workshops, students from Bemrose Primary will step into the role of landscape architects and ecologists. They will imagine a future where we need more wilderness, creatively intervening in local habitats to create places where both humans and the more-than-human world can flourish.   

The Bemrose school Yr-5’s digging like beavers. Photo: Shaun Taylor

With From The Ground Up’s expertise in participatory design, their guidance will help the children navigate the complexities of ecology and community need. By centring the voices of the next generation, the studio commits to providing children with creative problem-solving skills that will aid them in contributing positively to their future. We very much look forward to seeing how the students of Bemrose Primary respond to this brief.  

The Materials Store (2023) From The Ground Up’s re-use materials hub at Primary, Nottingham. It provides three bays for storing and reprocessing art materials, keeping them out of landfill.