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A very neat (unlike the wall render) galvanised steel wall coping. Although it might get noisy when the pigeons arrive

A great facade, sandstone 150x150mm section

Not an unreasonable design for a timber clad bench. However it has no way to remove the timber (and steel frame) for maintenance. It was always going to gather soil and debris. Design doesn't stop with how something looks.

Spanish road and pavement building.

East Beach Cafe, Littlehampton (great fish and chips) by Thomas Heatherwick Studios, Thomas does like to slice his geometry. Looks like corten but is a actually a coated effect.

When the paving is as impressive as the planting

Three paving materials within 1m? Not sure why. Sett edging (as for bricks and clay pavers) should be laid into a step tread and not across it to reduce the risk of it "rolling" out.

Wrong plant, wrong place, wrong construction. A root barrier doesnt cost much and can save future pain, they are not just for bamboo!

When an inspection cover and a step meet

I am intrigued by the effects of slicing up shapes and the creation of skews and voids where non are typically present. Its something that Thomas Heatherwick does a lot.

Large stone units dont have to be from a single piece, This lucky find shows the internal arrangement for a semi-circular plinth, almost a shame to hide it.

Galvainsed steel edging isn't used much. It can look shiny when installed but any fabricator will be able dull it down. The return fold on the top edge not only gives thickness it stiffens the edge, important if its forming a change in level.

I think this is in my top 5 details of all time. It made me stop and smile. The "fabric" acts as a diffuser and reduces the flow and energy of the rainwater. There could be a product idea in this somewhere.

Creasing tiles used as step risers. Seems to work best with a thick (40mm) tread

Recycle, reuse and repurpose. A drain outlet from a garden building. All parts are waste from the general garden build, down to the scrap of geotextile under the gravel. Water soaks away. A brick surround (everybody has bricks lying around) would work just as well

A triumph in brick and terracota. The wall follows the contour of the ground & the interlaced arches match the curved elevation. Built 125yrs ago and not a crack or sign of failure.

An old cascading rill, surrounded by riven yorkstone. The water is about 15mm deep and runs into a pool silently. The rill section is approx 75mm wide. Flow rate is low at approx 600lph, (about the same as an ouside tap)

Its seen better days, but I love the paving detail (pink granite) carried onto the bench