Led by Aberdeen City Council and supported by Principal Contractor Balfour Beatty the Union Terrace Gardens redevelopment, was a critical aspect of the City Centre Masterplan. Aimed at increasing amenity and civic pride, improving tourism and generating inward investment so that residents and visitors can fully enjoy Aberdeen’s special green heart.

The project provided an attractive mix of new and repurposed structures, including new accessible walkways into the gardens from Union Street, formal and informal play areas, an arboretum garden walk for learning, play and leisure including sculpture and lighting installations. Three new buildings sit alongside existing Grade A listed heritage features creating new business opportunities, the gardens arches have been refurbished as gallery and exhibition space. An extensive soft and hard landscape packages were delivered with over 43,000 plants and 80,000 bulbs planted and 4500m2 of granite paving laid. Ringed by some of the city’s finest architecture dating back to 1878 the new designs balanced restoration with contemporary interventions and new uses.

During construction Balfour Beatty worked in partnership with Aberdeen City Council delivering a community benefits plan which supported local priorities and engaged local partner organisations, winning of the ‘Inspiring Futures’ award at the 2022 Chamber of Commerce ‘Northern Star’ Awards in recognition of support provided to education providers within Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire

The project transforms the gardens into a usable, inclusive and dynamic space that will serve generations to come. It was a vision shaped by the people and one which everybody could unite behind.