Water, Wellbeing and Wildlife
The Importance of Integrated Landscape Design
Written by Kate Hutchinson
Earlier this week, we had a talk by Sarah Jones-Morris, director of Landsmith Associates, an award-winning landscape architecture and urban design consultancy based in Bristol. Sarah gave a fascinating overview of the work her practice is involved in, and also touched on several strands of research in relation to water management, natural capital and green infrastructure. The latter of which defines landscape as a multifunctional and widely-connected network, with a focus on water, wellbeing and wildlife.
We learned a lot of interesting things, which we will aim to address in our work as architects. Some of our key learnings and interesting facts from Sarah's talk include:
There is a microbiome connection between landscape and buildings (see diagram below)
Seating and front gardens play an important role in supporting social interaction. See Bench Collective in the Netherlands for inspiration!
Gardens and allotments have a higher number of pollinators than parks and wetlands
Climate change has resulted in greater volumes of rainwater, with rainwater runoff from roofs in urban locations mostly ending up in combined sewers and entering rivers. Sarah and her team are working on ways of addressing these issues with landscape retrofit practices.
Flood risk poses significant challenge to many sites, and without integrated soft landscape design and SUDs, some buildings will be uninsurable.
Nature-led regenerative landscape design can result in significant financial benefits for businesses
Noise pollution (particularly vehicular noise and noise from air conditioning units) can have a significant negative impact on health and wellbeing
There is a microbiome connection between landscape and buildings (credit: the work of Harry Watkins)
At Barefoot, we share our Bristol studio space with several landscape architecture practices, including Robert Bray Associates, a landscape architecture practice specialising in sustainable landscapes and SUDS (sustainable urban drainage systems). Nicola Greaves Design is also based at our studio, a landscape and garden design practice with a focus on people, place and nature. We understand the value that landscape architects bring to projects, and we strongly recommend that all of our clients consider appointing a landscape architect to ensure a successful and holistic design for their site.
Credit: Carolyn Marks
We are currently working with Outer Space Gardens on a radical retrofit project in a conservation area and with Carolyn Marks Landscape and Garden Design for an integrated residential garden design for a residential project.
Sarah's talk reinforced the importance of considered landscape design on projects of all scales, and raised a pertinent question: how can buildings connect with nature and the outdoor environment in a more integrated nature?
This is something we will continue to consider and develop in practice, whilst working alongside landscape architects and other consultants.