Land Studio, the North Wales and Chester based specialist landscape and environmental design studio, is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Over the past decade, Land Studio, which has an office in Flintshire and operates across Wales, has grown from a small design practice into a respected multi-disciplinary studio combining landscape architecture, civil engineering and ecology. The company is dedicated to creating nature-based design solutions that enhance biodiversity and connect people with the natural world.
Landscape Architect Simon Richards, who founded Land Studio in early 2016, said: “At the core of everything we do is the idea of connecting people with nature, not just designing attractive spaces, but creating landscapes that thrive ecologically and socially.”
Over its first decade, Land Studio has completed over 500 projects, grown to a team of 14, and embedded engineering, SuDS and ecology at the heart of its design approach. Its work stretches across the UK and beyond, from the Highlands of Scotland to the south coast of England, across Wales, throughout the North West and North of England, and down to Gibraltar.
The studio works across sectors which range from education and housing to historic estates and holiday parks and they employ a growing team of expert landscape architects, civil engineers and ecologists – bridging disciplines to deliver holistic design and planning solutions.
A particular strength of the business is its ability to integrate complex design challenges such as sustainable drainage (SuDS), biodiversity enhancement and site planning, within a unified creative process, rather than in isolated technical silos. This is increasingly vital as environmental legislation and industry expectations evolve.
Simon said: “I’ve seen a clear shift in how development is approached and a more nature-led mindset is gradually becoming the norm.
“The strategic approach we take to sites is now central to whether schemes succeed – through planning and ultimately on the ground. On a number of recent projects, for example, bringing ecology and drainage into the conversation at the very first masterplanning stage has allowed us to unlock sites that might otherwise have stalled at planning.
“Space is being allowed for habitats to establish, and complex, layered landscapes for drainage, recreation and nature are being created. Compared with 20 years ago, this is a dramatic and positive shift.
“A common thread in our work as a practice is helping clients and teams navigate the ever-changing world of environmental legislation. Whether it’s nitrates in a river catchment or the requirements for biodiversity enhancement, our advice is consistent: start early, make strategic decisions based on legislative requirements, and take a whole-team approach that brings development, ecology, drainage and landscape together.”
Land Studio has an office in Flintshire and another in The Old Rectory in Chester.
