Canons Wharf

Studio Knight Stokoe has designed a transformative landscape and public realm strategy for Canons Wharf, one of Bristol's most iconic Grade II listed buildings on the city's Harbourside. 

Working with clients Kinrise and Mactaggart Family & Partners, our vision creates a resilient and regenerative sequence of public and private spaces that enhance the building's historical and cultural significance whilst addressing climate and biodiversity priorities.

Our landscape strategy reimagines Canons Wharf's hard, underutilised environs through a 'mosaic meadow landscape' concept inspired by the site's heritage as historic Canons Marsh. 

This approach creates eight distinctive character areas; from the welcoming Main Arrival Garden to new roof terraces, each contributing to a biodiverse, resilient urban ecosystem that reconnects the building with Bristol's celebrated Harbourside.

Central to our design is a radical greening of spaces. A legacy tree framework plants 27 new trees, whilst varied planting typologies, including extensive wildflower green roofs, rain gardens and ornamental planting, deliver sensory richness across all seasons. 

We've transformed accessibility through new inclusive routes and level connections, opening previously inaccessible areas, including the new Link Building Café Garden and the activated Crescent Building rooftop.

Sustainability underpins every decision, from our ambitious strategy to retain, reuse, and recycle 100% of the existing site materials to integrated blue-green infrastructure that manages surface water. 

By achieving 38.65% Biodiversity Net Gain and 385% tree replacement, we've created landscapes that restore people's connection to nature in the heart of the city, offering office workers, visitors, and the public beautiful, inclusive spaces where biophilic design supports both wellbeing and ecological regeneration for generations to come.