LANDSCAPING:COURTYARDS IN Treasury Holdings' Spencer Dock scheme in Dublin's docklands have won an award for "Outstanding Achievements in Landscaping and Design" from ALCI (Association of Landscape Contractors of Ireland).

The courtyards, by English company Hyland Edgar Driver in conjunction with Malahide-based Peter O'Brien and Sons, are based around the idea of a journey from the country to the city.

While those traditionally from the area were often moved out to the far edges of the city and now new people are moving from the country into this part of the city, the country-to-city theme mainly refers to the flow of water from the hills down to the docklands and out to sea.

There are four courtyards: the first relates to the hills around Dublin; the second to the streams that begin in high valleys; the third is about the control of landscaping as it enters the city; and the fourth is designed to reflect the end of the journey as water enters the sea.