Landscape architecture, healthy aging and access to nature
Eccles’s current research explores the relationships between landscape architecture, healthy aging and everyday access to nature. His interests include Green Social Prescribing, inclusive public space, residential neighbourhood design, and the ways in which the built and natural environment can support health, wellbeing and social connection. His wider research interests encompass intergenerational environments, play and risk-taking, and the design of inclusive places for people with different needs, abilities and life experiences.
International collaborative approaches to community development
Since 2019, Eccles has led the development of Gramer Haor, an international interdisciplinary collaboration between Birmingham City University, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh and Gramer Haor Ltd. in London. Supported by The King’s Foundation, the collaboration provides a live-project platform through which students, academics and practitioners apply the Foundation’s Rapid Planning Toolkit to explore community needs, rural urbanization, sustainable development and place-responsive design in northeast Bangladesh.
More than 200 BA and MA students from Landscape Architecture, Architecture and Interior Architecture have participated in the collaboration. Through collaborative research, fieldwork and design exploration, Gramer Haor examines how landscape architecture and related disciplines can contribute to environmentally and culturally responsive community development. It also explores the value of international, interdisciplinary learning in helping students understand complex relationships between people, place and environmental change.
Landscape Institute Journal, 2026. Landscape Journal spring 2026: Education and Skills. Building the professional pipeline, Alternative pathways.
Available at:https://issuu.com/landscape-institute/docs/education_and_skills_building_the_professional_pi
United Nations Network on Migration, Nov 2025. Gramer Haor - Co.Lab initiative. Available at: https://migrationnetwork.un.org/practice/gramer-haor-ltd-colab-initiative
Symposium: Responding to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation - A model of UK-Bangladesh collaboration
Date: 22nd June 2023
This symposium is using my exhibition at the Building Centre in the Central London as a platform. I am part of the team to organise this symposium and I am one of the panelists to present and discuss on stage.
Landscape Institute Journal, Feb 2022, Whose Landscape is it?
Landscape Journal, Spring 2022 Issue Making COP26 Count all year round; pp 6-8.
https://issuu.com/landscape-institute/docs/landscape_journal_whose_landscape_i_a41cbf7b402582/6
Forum for Global Challenges, Birmingham
Date: 5th May 2022
Project Gramer Haor was presented on session on Managing Urban Changes for Sustainablity and Equality.
World Urban Forum, Katowice, Poland
Date: 26-30 June 2022
Case study was presented within the session run by Prince’s Foundation (King’s Foundation)
RIBA architecture.com, Dec 2021. Student case study: Working together to help a village grow sustainably. RIBA.
Available at: https://www.architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/knowledge-landing-page/student-case-study-working-together-to-help-a-village-grow-sustainably
Landscape Institute Journal, Oct 2021. Landscape Journal Autumn 2021: Making COP26 count.
Working together to help a village grow sustainably
Available at: https://issuu.com/landscape-institute/docs/li_journal_4_cop_edition/22
International Network For Traditional Building, Architecture & Urbanism, Sep 2021.
Rapid planning toolkit piloted in Bangladesh. INTBAU.
https://www.intbau.org/the-princes-foundations-rapid-planning-toolkit-piloted-in-bangladesh/
Exhibition at Tower Tavern, University of Westminster, London
Date: 12th -18th Sep 2026
In-Between Thresholds Exhibition (part of the London Design Festival 2026)
https://londondesignfestival.com/activities/in-between-thresholds
Wienerberger Podcast series 2026 – Building For What’s Next
Guest presenter contributes to Episode 5 - discussion on Higher Education, Curriculum Design and Regulation Compliance
Exhibition at the Building Centre, London
Date: 2nd May 2023 – mid July 2023
Gramer Haor – Planning a village to grow sustainably
https://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/whats_on/exhibitions/gramer-haor-planning-a-village-to-grow-sustainably
Exhibition in Sylhet, Bangladesh
Gramer Haor – Planning a village to grow sustainably
Date: June 2023
Exhibition display at the Buckingham Palace for the Commonwealth Day
Date: 13th March 2023
Gramer Haor project was presented at the Prince’s foundation display area
Awards
Commonwealth Association of Architects CAA President awards 2024
Project Gramer Haor
https://issuu.com/comarchitect.org/docs/2024_caa_awards_ceremony
Winner of West Midlands National Park (WMNP) 2022 & WMNP International Project Award 2022
https://wmnplab.org/wmnp/awards/
BCU summer school – International activity
Bee Inclusive
Broadcast live from BCU Parkside campus roof meadow. An event explores the symbiotic relationship with our meadow plants to produce food the bees and support pollination of the meadow plants with a beekeeper.
Date 15th July 2022
Hong Kong British Council - SPARK event – co-host event
A Celebration of Transnational Education Partnership Working, Knowledge Exchange and Cultural Diversity
Date: 21st Oct 2021
https://www.britishcouncil.hk/en/programmes/spark-2021/events/steam-education
Dezeen. Birmingham City University spotlights 12 creative partnership projects
Date: 21st July 2021
https://www.dezeen.com/2021/07/21/birmingham-city-university-creative-partnership-school-show/
Prince’s Foundation, 2021.
Case studies, Rapid Planning Toolkit.
To tackle the issues of rapid growth, an international university collaboration was formed, created specifically to learn about and apply the Rapid Planning Toolkit in a village setting. Project Gramer Haor is now one of the 10 case studies of Prince’s foundation within the globe, as a pilot project of this context.
Available at: www.rapidplanningtoolkit.org/case-studies
Constructing Excellence Award 2018
The Quadram Institute, Norwich Research Park
https://constructingexcellence.org.uk/quadram-institute/
National RIBA award 2014
Waverley School, Birmingham
https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/archive/2014-riba-award-winners-announced
BREEAM “Excellent” rating for sustainability 2011
Cressex Community School
https://dqi.org.uk/case-studies/education-and-research/cressexcommunityschool.php
BALI National Landscape Award (hard landscape under £300,000), 2008
Bristol Royal Infirmary Children's Hospital - Paediatric Unit
The Birmingham Post and Mail House Design Best Town Houses and Best Overall Development
2007 (Crest Nicholson)
Attwood Green Park Central, Birmingham
Landscape Institute John Knight Award 2006
