Tonkin Liu

Tonkin Liu Award-winning architecture, landscape and sculpture inspired by nature. We question by Asking, Looking, Playing, Making.

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a summer stroll around Grosvenor Square Gardens with close friends, colleagues...
07/08/2026

Last week, we had the pleasure of hosting a summer stroll around Grosvenor Square Gardens with close friends, colleagues, and collaborators.

It was a wonderful opportunity to share the journey behind the transformation of this historic space, exploring the ideas, inspirations and design thinking that shaped the project. Everyone enjoyed learning about the technical solutions underground - with soil, biodiversity, and with water permeability, much of which is now invisible and continuing to work hard. It was absolutely beautiful in the evening light and alive with families and groups of people of all ages. 

It was a special evening made even more meaningful by the reflections shared by Antony Miller: 

“The first thing that struck me was the delightful smell, new to me in central London. The herbs and aromas filling the air are unlike any other London Square. It was quite ravishing. After that I saw scores of people, lolling, dangling, playing: the square was fuller than I have ever seen it. There was an overwhelming sense of delight.”

Antony captured the essence of what we hoped Grosvenor Square Gardens could become a place of discovery, connection, and enjoyment.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and shared in the evening.

We will be hosting an Autumn Amble 12.00 noon BYO picnic in the gardens on the 3rd October, everyone is welcome.

Grosvenor Square Gardens brings together heritage, art, landscape and architecture to create vibrant public space that s...
28/07/2026

Grosvenor Square Gardens brings together heritage, art, landscape and architecture to create vibrant public space that supports social interaction, biodiversity and climate resilience in the heart of central London.

Tonkin Liu won the international competition to revitalise the 300 year old square in 2020, with planning approval secured in 2022. The competition winning team included the late Nigel Dunnett, Gary Grant, Integration, SEAM, Patricia Brown, Angela Koch and the late Joseph Rykwert. additional collaborators, including Donald Insall Associates and AKT II, joined the team as the project progressed. The clarity of the original concept, rooted in the squares historic Georgian oval geometry and the creation of two distinct landscapes, an open garden and a shaded garden, has been realised through the dedication of the delivery team at BDP, Maylim Landscapes and Grosvenor.

Anna and Mike attended the opening ceremony on Monday the 13th of July, where speeches were delivered by the Duke of Westminster, the Mayor of London, and members of the 9/11 Memorial and Mayfair Youth Forum, marking an important milestone in the History of Grosvenor Square.

Today the square absorbs up to 1.5 million litres of stormwater, a testament to the vision of Nigel Dunnett and Gary Grant. Carley Wootton has taken on the role as Head Gardner at Grosvenor Square. As the custodian of the Landscape, she will continue to nurture Nigel’s vision and legacy for years to come.

The design was conceived as a biodiverse counterpoint to the surrounding city, a green sponge within the urban environment. An oval flowering lawn encircled by a woodland garden, with a gently winding path connecting a series of social ovals where people can pause, gather and immerse themselves beneath the shaded canopy.
Two pavilions provide a base for the gardeners and the London Wildlife Trust.

What can nature teach us about the way we design? A couple of months ago, Anna had the opportunity to speak about Co-evo...
10/07/2026

What can nature teach us about the way we design?
 
A couple of months ago, Anna had the opportunity to speak about Co-evolving with Nature at Futurebuild, exploring the four scales of nature that inform our approach at Tonkin Liu: geography, elements, symbols and lessons. The discussion was a reminder that designing with nature goes deeper than materials, systems, and biodiversity, it unifies communities through new stories, symbols, whilst tapping into knowledge and skills that enable places to endure.
Reflecting on the event, Anna shared:
 
“I enjoyed learning from my fellow panellists, particularly Jan Kattein’s project in King’s Cross and Laura Baron’s perspective on training young people in heritage craft. She recalled a Landmark Trust project wherein education programme, where a young bricklayer was brought into the main contractor’s team. It is a heartening model that helps close the skills gap, supports the delivery of high quality heritage projects, and creates opportunities for the next generation of craftspeople.
 
Nature teaches us that healthy systems evolve over time and the same is true of our buildings, our crafts and the people who shape them.

We were delighted to be invited by Peter Murray to take part last week in the ‘West End Revival - Lord Hendy Routemaster...
18/06/2026

We were delighted to be invited by Peter Murray to take part last week in the ‘West End Revival - Lord Hendy Routemaster Charity Tour’ showcasing key, significant developments in London’s West End.
 
Anna led the section on Grosvenor Square Gardens - due to complete and open in July -sharing key moments in the design evolution since winning the competition in 2020.

All of the passengers got off the bus and walked together across the western side of the square.
 
Reflecting on the experience, Anna said:
“A great moment in time to share our design aspirations, and to honour the pivotal role of Nigel Dunnett,
a beloved team member and horticulturalist who has sadly passed away recently.

There were familiar faces on the bus, Pat Brown, Deborah Saunt, Rosalind Peebles, Chris Dyson -
sensing from everyone a palpable excitement about the continued transformation of this important part of London.”

Our day at the Hay festival, which I can describe thematically as “rage to rapture,” began with AI and bioacoustics rese...
01/06/2025

Our day at the Hay festival, which I can describe thematically as “rage to rapture,” began with AI and bioacoustics researcher Joycelyn Longdon, Social geographer Danny Dorling and climate activist Rob Hopkins, following on with our own talk, John Cooper Clarke and a dance to the performance of the local music band “The Breaks”

We are looking forward to joining Tayshan Hayden-Smith, Harry Holding, Eelco Hooftman, Ann-Marie Powell, Prue Leith & Jo...
28/05/2025

We are looking forward to joining Tayshan Hayden-Smith, Harry Holding, Eelco Hooftman, Ann-Marie Powell, Prue Leith & John Playfair on Wednesday 28 May 2025, 5.30pm at the Hay Festival (LINK https://www.hayfestival.com/p-23645-tayshan-hayden-smith-harry-holding-eelco-hooftman-anna-liu-ann-marie-powell-prue-leith-and-john-playfair.aspx)

We’ll be discussing ‘Garden’s of the Future’ inline with the British Library’s new exhibition Unearthed: The Power of Gardening and accompanying book (LINK https://shop.bl.uk/products/gardens-of-the-future?srsltid=AfmBOoq1PcOC6pAISIMuOPMC16546vRsYlz39jbK_vJTlOV3NgEf7eMU)

Spiral MountainThe Spiral of Art ramps up through 6,000 m2 of galleries. Grand spaces are juxtaposed with intimate space...
10/08/2023

Spiral Mountain

The Spiral of Art ramps up through 6,000 m2 of galleries. Grand spaces are juxtaposed with intimate spaces.

Spiral MountainThe Spiral of Books is a long, 350,000-books-shelves-ramp with doors that, like Narnia’s wardrobe, open i...
10/08/2023

Spiral Mountain

The Spiral of Books is a long, 350,000-books-shelves-ramp with doors that, like Narnia’s wardrobe, open into park-facing reading rooms of various sizes.

The Spiral of Light forms the building’s stepping, light-modulating slab.

Spiral Mountain floats above Taichung Park, weaving together four spirals: of books, art, greenery, and light. The Spira...
10/08/2023

Spiral Mountain floats above Taichung Park, weaving together four spirals: of books, art, greenery, and light. The Spiral of Nature is a continuous line of trees and gardens on the building’s stepped exterior.

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