Community farming project shortlisted for national placemaking award
A community farming project, led by London South Bank University (LSBU), has been shortlisted in one of the UK’s leading awards celebrating excellence in placemaking and place‑led initiatives.
The Common Garden project, led by Dr Ioana Petkova and Valerio Massaro from LSBU’s School of Architecture and Planning, in collaboration with Loughborough Farm, has been recognised in Pineapples Award 2026 shortlist.
Organised by The Developer, the awards celebrate projects that deliver positive social, environmental and community impact through the built environment.
Research rooted in care, community and collaboration
London’s Common Gardens looks at how community farms can be welcoming, shared spaces that support both people and the environment. Based at Loughborough Farm in South London, the project shows how working together in gardens can improve wellbeing, bring people together and help local communities care for their surroundings.
At the heart of the project is a hands‑on exchange between LSBU architecture students and farm volunteers. Students worked directly with the local community, gaining practical experience in community‑led design, sustainable building and real construction projects. In return, volunteers shared their knowledge of the site and the needs of the people who use it. This two‑way approach helped students apply their learning in a real setting, while allowing LSBU’s teaching and research to make a visible difference locally.
Over the course of three years, the collaboration brought together students, researchers, activists and volunteers to design and build new features for the farm. These included moveable planters, a small outdoor stage, made using recycled and environmentally friendly materials and the refurbishment of the farm's plant room. The new spaces are now used for workshops, talks, performances and day‑to‑day community activities, helping the farm grow as a lively and inclusive place for local people.
The Pineapples Awards for Place are recognised nationally as a benchmark for excellence in placemaking, celebrating projects that help people “live, work, dwell, connect, learn or play” while delivering long‑term social value. The 2026 awards announced over 100 shortlisted projects across multiple categories, with finalists presenting their work to judges during the Festival of Pineapples in early 2026.
Dr Ioana Petkova, project co-lead and lecturer at LSBU, welcomed the nomination: “This shortlist recognition is incredibly meaningful for the whole team. London’s Common Gardens is about practising care for people, place and shared futures. To see a small‑scale, community‑led project recognised alongside major national schemes shows that collaborative, care‑centred research has a vital role to play in shaping more inclusive cities.”
Heather Seal, Wyck Forest Garden and Loughborough Farm Coordinator: “We are really enjoying the new plant room. It has a very calm and cosy atmosphere. We have held quite a few workshops in there as well as our afternoon tea. The sound of the rain falling in the gutter is very soothing.”
Winners of the Pineapples Awards 2026 will be announced at the Pineapples prize‑giving party on 22 April 2026, following live judging presentations earlier in the year.