Embassy Gardens forms part of Sir Terry Farrell’s wider masterplan for the regeneration of Nine Elms – a development of homes, shops, restaurants and public space along the Thames. At its centre sits the park linking Vauxhall Bridge to Battersea Power Station, alongside the US Embassy, whose arrival marked a clear shift in how this part of London would be understood.
Like much of London’s riverside regeneration, Nine Elms emerged from former industrial land. But new places bring unfamiliarity. Before patterns of movement settle and habits form, people lack the cues they rely on to navigate instinctively.
Our role was to support that early stage: helping first-time visitors and residents move through the area easily and confidently. Rather than treating signage as a set of instructions, we focused on shaping a sequence of experiences that guide people without making that guidance feel imposed.
We began with arrival – the point where people form their first understanding of a place – and then concentrated on key threshold moments where decisions are made quickly and clarity matters most.
In this context, we think as much in terms of signals as signs. A sign exists whether or not it is noticed; a signal only exists when it is received. The most effective navigation often happens without conscious effort, when the environment communicates intuitively enough that people move confidently without stopping to question where they are.
Our interventions at Embassy Gardens work within that principle. Rather than relying on overt signage, we introduced visual markers that define space and suggest direction, sometimes explicitly, sometimes more subtly. Materials, textures, planting and light all become part of the navigational language, allowing the system to feel embedded within the architecture and landscape rather than applied to it.
This led to the idea of a deconstructed garden boundary – a contemporary interpretation of a traditional fence using timber elements and planting to create layered edges. Integrated lighting animates these structures at key moments, particularly around the main arrival point, where they act as both marker and invitation. The effect shifts through the day, responding to changing light and footfall so the space continues to read clearly whether busy or quiet.
Where routes diverge or destinations need to be identified quickly, more explicit graphic information provides direct clarity when required. The balance is deliberate: enough structure to guide, enough subtlety to let the place reveal itself over time.
What emerges is a wayfinding approach that establishes a sense of place as much as it supports movement. In a development still defining its identity, that balance becomes essential – helping people not just find their way, but begin to feel they belong.
