Is landscape a matter of fashion? – By Ramune

Posted on 15/02/2012 by | Leave a comment

I have just come back from the Netherlands where I visited Van Den Berk tree nurseries to choose and tag some semi-mature trees for a project we have in Hertfordshire.  Something of a circulatory in all of this being one of the last projects I shall put on the ground for Terra Firma before returning to Lithuania (and more about that another time). When I first started here 8 years ago Lionel was keen I obtained some practical horticultural experience to compliment my architectural degree and referred me to Hilliers where I worked Part Time in their big tree nursery while also starting at Terra Firma. So I am very familiar with the large tree transplanting process and how very satisfying  it is! Continue reading →

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Posted in Innovative planting, International Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architect, Soft landscape and planting design, Tree nursery

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A load of old rubbish.

Posted on 03/02/2012 by | Leave a comment

I’ve started doing a lot more walking locally recently and have been becoming increasingly frustrated with the volume of litter, particularly in a nearby housing estate that I cut through to get to the local town centre. But on reading briefly into the issues, I am struggling to identify a solution to combat the problems associated with littering, fly tipping, dog waste, chewing gum etc. that might actually work. Continue reading →

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Posted in Anti-social behaviour, green infrastructure, Landscape Architect, Public open space, Residential landscape

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Poetical Design? by Paul Strugnell

Posted on 20/01/2012 by | Leave a comment

“I started off on these town tours, some months ago, full of hope. I come back at the end of them sadly depressed”.

The unhappy conclusion arrived at by John Betjeman after a series of visits to a variety of towns in Southern England in the summer of 1937. Although irritated by many aspects of the architecture he found, his diatribe was reserved for the speculator/developer and the “little brick horrors poisoning England”. His reasoning being that developers rarely consider the surrounding neighbourhood and its character, decline to provide sufficient space for a family or provide an adequate garden, and are more inclined to spend the money on “superficial attractions”. Continue reading →

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Posted in Residential landscape, Terra Firma Team, Urban Design

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2012: Landscapes of the future

Posted on 12/01/2012 by | Leave a comment

I was recently on a flight toBarbados (just had to get that in) and I was reading ‘predictions for 2012’ in the on-flight magazine. Several ‘experts’ independently see this new year heralding a mass yearning to get away from the fast-paced digital age and experience something a bit ‘rustic’. People will want to visit places where their Blackberries don’t work. Apparently there’ll be new markets in more adventurous tourism, with people wanting to explore places that have never appealed before. I expect that going somewhere without the luxury facilities we’ve demanded in the past will also be a bit cheaper – perhaps not a coincidence. Continue reading →

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Posted in Future Landscape, International Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architect Resource, Seasons Greetings

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End of the year !

Posted on 23/12/2011 by | Leave a comment

Well its come around to me to write again and I simply can’t believe we have reached Christmas and the end of the year. Its had its moments, as no doubt has been the experience for most businesses in recent years since recession kicked in but we really feel pretty fortunate to still be working on some great projects and with some bright prospects for 2012.

One Drummond Gate, Pimlico, completed in the summer.

We have only recently heard that the Interserve team, of which we are a part, has effectively won (by becoming ‘preferred bidder’) the PFI contract to design, build and operate 3 major HQ and Training facility projects for West Yorks Police, something for which we have done a tremendous amount of up front work already. Continue reading →

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Posted in International Landscape Architecture, Uncategorized

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“What is the most important skill for landscape architects to have?”

Posted on 16/12/2011 by | Leave a comment

This question was posed to me and my fellow degree students as we neared the end of our studies (some years ago now!). Overwhelmingly, the answer given was ‘communication’. Apparently our response was typical of landscape architecture students in the UK. We differed from students in the US, who were more preoccupied with the dreaded ‘drainage and grading’ which features as a knotty problem-solving task in their professional exams, so the slant towards this more technical skill is perhaps understandable. And of course mastering drainage and grading certainly is vital. Continue reading →

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Christmas 2011, by Alison Murray

Posted on 09/12/2011 by | Leave a comment

Well Christmas is well and truly on its way!

Finally as we turn into December the winter weather has arrived which seems to have still taken us all by surprise even though it is very overdue.  The ever increasing Christmas light displays are out in force on houses all around where we work and live. Continue reading →

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Posted in Seasons Greetings, Terra Firma Team

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Walking the Pathway to Chartership, by Tom

Posted on 06/12/2011 by | 1 Comment

For those who don’t know, the Pathway to Chartership (P2C) is the experience based process used to assess and develop the knowledge, understanding and professionalism of Licentiate members of the Landscape Institute (L.I.). This is the final hurdle of the long training required to become a fully qualified Landscape Architect. When a candidate has made sufficient progress on the Pathway under the guidance of their mentor and gained the approval of their supervisor they may be entered for the oral exam, which has replaced the written exam of previous years. I personally think of this as a very positive move, as it means that assessment is based not only on the regurgitation of facts but also on an individual’s attitude, demeanour and experience, which are all equally important to a Chartered Landscape Architect whether in private practice or the public sector. Continue reading →

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Posted in Landscape Architect Education and Training, Terra Firma Team

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Thoughts on green infrastructure in Lithuania by Ramune Sanderson

Posted on 25/11/2011 by | Leave a comment

I have recently been back to my native Lithuania, where I’ve attended the annual general meeting of the Lithuanian Association of Landscape Architects and received a commendation from the Ministry of Environment for one of Terra Firma’s projects submitted for the awards ceremony. This has been specifically commended for the good use of methodology in regenerating industrial landscape. I also had many discussions about the importance of the politics of green urbanism and the current economical situation’s influence on status of the landscape architecture. As always, I left these events with a head full of thoughts and the nagging feeling that a plan of action must be started. Admittedly, coming over from the every day landscape life of a western European country,Lithuaniawith its Baltic neighbours does seem like a country full of opportunities. However, this is contrary to the views of a lot of Lithuanian based colleagues I have spoken to. Continue reading →

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Posted in Future Landscape, green infrastructure, International Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architect Resource

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A tricky question?

Posted on 17/11/2011 by | Leave a comment

Who benefits the most from direct plant supply? Client, nursery, contractor or landscape architect?

We have been working as term landscape architecture consultants for over a year now for Churchill Retirement Living (CRL), one of the leading providers in the retirement sector. Since our involvement from September 2010, we have 5 projects already built, planted and occupied, and upwards of 25 projects on the books. We provide CRL with a consultancy service from pre-planning application, through landscape strategy and detailed planting design to overseeing implementation on site and into the establishment period.

Completed planting scheme for Elgar Lodge, Churchill's Malvern development

As you would imagine CRL run a tight ship, with customer satisfaction, smooth working processes and profitability all high on the agenda. With the latter two in mind, Terra Firma have suggested, and set up, a direct plant supply agreement with Hillier Nurseries.

Benefits? For the client; the obvious money saving without the implementing landscape contractor’s mark-up and the promise of a far better guarantee in consistency of quality of plant stock. Continue reading →

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Posted in Landscape Architects, Residential landscape, Soft landscape and planting design, Uncategorized

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