Chester and North Wales based specialist landscape architect practice Land Studio has launched a pioneering Civil Engineering division.
It is the first nature led landscape architecture practice in the UK to have its own in-house civil engineering team.
The company, which recently celebrated its sixth anniversary, believes this new integrated approach can help to tackle climate change.
The new division, which offers clients drainage design and water management solutions, is headed up by Director Lisa Sawyer.
Lisa said: “What we’re doing at Land Studio is pioneering and very exciting. I don’t know of any other practice of our size in the UK that has landscape architects and in-house civil engineers working together as an integrated service. But I think that it is the future.
“Climate change has brought to the forefront the need for landscape architects and civil engineers to work closely together and to be involved with building projects – whatever their size – right from the start.
“This enables us to suggest that a building could be better orientated to make the most of the topography of a site or to show that there’s a more cost efficient, sensitive way of dealing with surface water than putting attenuation crates under the ground. It’s time to think differently.”
Simon Richards, founder of Land Studio, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lisa on board. Our combined knowledge and expertise of land and natural systems gives us a unique insight into the design of drainage and water management strategies that can respond to our changing climate.
“We believe this is the future and a step change in working to combat climate change through design excellence and a fully integrated landscape architecture and engineering systems approach.”
