Leathermarket Gardens Named Finalist for the Pineapples Awards
- Feb 24
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Recognising long-term, community-led design that puts children and young people at the heart of placemaking.
NOOMA Studio’s Leathermarket Gardens project has been named a finalist in the Child-Friendly Place category at the Pineapple Awards 2026.
The category celebrates initiatives that create meaningful places for under 18s, from babies to teenagers, across shared public and private space. From streets and neighbourhood landscapes to dedicated play environments, the award recognises projects that enable young people to participate in and shape their surroundings.
Leathermarket Gardens and the Tyers Estate regeneration is the result of four years of sustained collaboration with residents, delivered for Leathermarket JMB and the London Borough of Southwark. Working alongside Churchman Thornhill Finch, Simple Works, Velocity and Open Access, the project responds to a neighbourhood navigating significant change and development pressure.
Rather than imposing a fixed masterplan, the scheme evolved through conversation, testing and incremental interventions. Play, planting, safety, access and everyday social life were discussed openly with residents of all ages. The design developed gradually, allowing concerns around overlooking, shared use and long-term stewardship to be addressed through dialogue. Elements such as multi-level planters and playable landscape features emerged directly from this process, embedding community priorities into the physical fabric of the space.
The project reflects a belief that child-friendly design is not confined to designated play areas. It extends to thresholds, routes, seating, planting and the in-between spaces that support independence, encounter and imagination. By focusing on how spaces are used day to day, the scheme seeks to create an environment where children are visible participants in neighbourhood life rather than accommodated at its margins.
Recognition within the Pineapple Awards affirms this broader understanding of child-friendly placemaking — one rooted in intergenerational exchange, everyday sociability and long-term care. The live presentations took place online on 24 February, bringing together practitioners from across the UK committed to creating places where children are visible, valued and empowered.
NOOMA Studio is honoured to be shortlisted alongside teams who share a commitment to shaping neighbourhoods through listening, collaboration and careful design — strengthening the everyday spaces where community life unfolds.
