Water wall completed at Al Muneera, Abu Dhabi. Experiment with bringing in a short  movie clip.

Recently returned from a week with the Gulf office. Always good to renew contacts, follow up new leads, catch up on projects and see some completed ones. Alistair and the team pretty full on with things in UAE, Saudi, Oman, Kuwait and now Qatar. We had fun at Abu Dhabi’s Cityscape exhibition identifying sites we’d been involved wit in the city. Picture below only shows half the story but can’t display all the things we are involved with down town…but good to hear Hard Rock Hotel is definitely going to be built this year .

Cityscape model at Abu Dhabi with a few ASTF involvements highlighted

Hard Rock Hotel, Abu Dhabi; Architect Aedas with landscape and roof terraces by ASTF

 Did not prevent us from a good day of R and R at end of the week up at Ras al Khaimah at Duncan’s house then out on  Alistair’s boat..

ASTF Directors off RAK April 27th

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My daily trudge to work - horrid isn't it?

As a landscape architect I am in awe of places which invoke so much sentiment. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that no design can match the intangible depth of history, and I have to admit that as a designer I can’t compete. However, landscape architecture isn’t just about design. I was recently walking in the Royal Forest of Bere – another ancient semi-natural woodland near my home. Reminded that landscape architects are custodians of the landscape, it occurred to me that that might mean creating interventions befitting of the modern era, or it might equally mean looking after interventions from a bygone time.

As a designer, I don’t just look to the future – I like to keep one eye on the past. In the future my modern-day interventions will be considered as just another stitch in the ever-growing tapestry of history. Everywhere you look there is another thread in that tapestry – and each one tells a story. Some threads are short-lived – others have weaved from a point way back in history, and will go on into the future. Looking to the example of past interventions can help us consider how effective our proposed interventions might be.

This is why it is important for landscape architects to be skilled not only in design, but also in the practices of managing the land. There are some places where design is not the priority – if it denies us an ancient landscape that has much to teach. If I were asked to design a modern-day intervention for an ancient setting, I would make sure that my design respected the pre-existing threads in the tapestry of history. Moreover, as landscape architects we sometimes have the privilege of inheriting a weave started before us, and seeing it continues into the future.

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We have recently completed a courtyard design and whilst we cannot show any of the details of the scheme we can illustrate the process undertaken with models of an older scheme. This has the benefit of being constructed and photographed. We used the sketch up model to get a feel for the scale of the space and how our water feature fitting within it, and then to refine the detail of the water feature which had a set of specific client requirements:-
• It had to look like a traditional middle-eastern irrigation channel, known as a ‘falaj’.
• It had to be expansive but quiet enough for comfortable conversations in the
context of a restaurant.
• It had to somehow introduce planting into the space

Falaj irrigation channels

It’s always a buzz to see concept images, design drawings, now sketch up models closely matching the final product and whilst the design may change for various reasons when we know that it is because of client requirements or design constraints which have to be respected, and not because we have lost our way in terms of design, then the pleasure is maintained.

Our more recent project allowed us to refine and inform the construction details we were simultaneously producing, highlighting detailed design issues such as junctions of vertical and horizontal elements, accommodating drainage fixtures within paving patterns and ensuring the copings, light fixtures, landscape walls and architectural walls were coordinated.

The process of constructing the model was quick and easy. We worked in an office shared with architects and engineers using 3d software which was necessarily complex but time consuming and had the added benefit of producing a model which when rendered even basically, and had shadows and people added easily managed to conjure the scale, topography and atmosphere of a the space which so far only existing in our imaginations.

3D Sketch Up models produced by ASTF in developing Falaj themed water feature for Fanr Restaurant

Our philosophy was to use the sketch up model as a design tool not as a visualisation product but as a result of using the software, we had both.

The finished product; Fanr Restaurant Garden , Saadiyat Cutural Centre, Abu Dhabi

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National Planning Policy Framework Introduced 27 March 2012

Well its finally arrived! Along with all those involved in the environmental field, Landscape Architects up and down the land will have been poring over the new documents of the NPPF in the last week since it came into force. We have been inundated with commentaries from numerous planning consultants, environmental lawyers and indeed our own Landscape Institute (Chief Exec Alistair McCapra providing a particularly good one from our perspective).

It would appear to have been remarkably well received by the professional community (always likely to have been its most vocal critics) given the radical extent of hacking back from previous guidance and the controversy over the first draft.

Of immediate interest to us for projects in hand, it was good to note there is a 12 month transitional period to take account of the changing goalposts (though I can imagine this, along with rather a lot of other things lost with the detail, will lead to some inevitable confusion ..and increased work for planning inspectors and lawyers in the short term at least) and that one of the most renowned policies of the now defunct PPS7 – the enablement of building a dwelling of exceptional quality or innovative design in the countryside – is carried forward in the NPPF.

The keystone of the planning system still remains the Local Development Plan and that will still determine by far the majority of all planning matters but of particular interest to me as Chair of our community’s emerging Parish Plan, is that neighbourhood plans are now an inherent part of the framework and future planning system. While they will have to be synchronised with Local Authority (in our case East Hants District Council and South Downs National Park) Local Development Plans, where outside core strategies, the Parish Plan could take precedent. We could go as far as set policies to determine decisions on certain planning applications and via the Parish Council even have powers to use Neighbourhood Development Orders and Community Right to Build Orders for specific developments. To quote the documents introductory sentence on Neighbourhood Plans; ‘Neighbourhood planning gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and deliver the sustainable development they need’…and sustainability is now clearly defined in the NPPF as a balance between economic, social and environmental factors…not just the latter as so often misinterpreted by some. Clearly this is a mandate for ‘growth’ and simply maintaining the status quo or promoting NIMBYism is not an option.

Attending a Community Forum organised by EHDC on exactly this topic last night , it was clear the working of all this is clearly in its infancy and the procedures and costs to take a Neighbourhood Plan (and that Defines Parish Plan as well) to Neighbourhood Development Plan or Development Order status would most likely be prohibitive and indeed unneccessary for most communities. The secret appears to lie in closer dialogue with the Local Authority and this is to be welcomed.

Back to the wider stage and its important to realise the NPPF does not allow some kind of free for all for all development; the countryside and green belt is still protected and brownfield, town centre and good design promoted. As the LI commentary and its subsequent correspondence highlight, we as Landscape Architects need to continue to promote Landscape Character Assessment and Green Infrastructure as vital cogs in the Planning Process in spite scant mention in the document.

As ever, the challenge is to embrace the changes and move forward. Good luck!

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The Midnight Bell , Leeds, 23 March 2012

Along with an earlier visit by two of us to the current Design School (and just great to see it in the new building and doing well) to meet up with some of the staff we best knew and know, conversation was bound to reflect on the current and future well-being of Landscape Architecture education.

Lionel with Chris Royffe, Edwin Knighton, Fleure Gething and Colin Treen - all staff past and present of the Landscape Architecture School at Leeds.

It was good to hear course numbers have been holding and that graduates have managed to achieve an employment rate between 80-90% in spite of the recession. However there are very real fears on the horizon of what the imminent rise in student fees is going to do to numbers.

Broadcasting Place, Leeds; current location of the Landscape School atop of the School for Art, Architecture and Design.

Martin from our office just happened to be at a meeting of the LI education policy committee the same day and it was heartening to since hear him report that though there are fears on numbers, the signs from applications are indicating that it should not be drastic. I found it interesting to learn that there have been well over 500 entrants (from a far larger pool of applicants) each of the last 4 years and that 30% come with over 360 UCAS points (equivalent of 3 grade As) so both numbers and standards do not appear to have dropped off to date. However, all of us in the profession do need to be aware the threats to its future well-being,  if courses do end up struggling.

I would hate if the opportunities that were afforded to me and my happy colleagues in studying for and entering this wonderful field 30 years ago, were not available to current and future generations of school leavers.

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The boss and his wavy haired side-kick were thrilled,
Mrs G, they could see, was ever so skilled,
“We want you to work for us”, they said,
And she was Terra Firma bound.

The following years were eventful:
Five weddings, one funeral and babies galore:
Lawrence, Isla, Annie, Narelle and Cadel
To Terra Firma were born.

Food and drink are always hot topics,
With hampers and doughnuts and cakes,
Martin has sweets and Ally has Twiglets,
(while Mrs G just has grapes!)
We’re well fed at Terra Firma.

Between us we’ve travelled all over,
Kuwait, South of France, and … Southampton,
And lots of places in Kent
But to Terra Firma we return.

We’re proud of our wide range of projects
Schools, hospitals, parks, even mines,
High standards, service second to none,
Is the Terra Firma way.

And we’re losing our Lithuanian lass
No more will we hear her yell,
“Black tea with milk, a Pot Noodle as well” (“and throw in a large brandy too”!)
But she’ll make Terra Firma proud.

Terra Firma lunch to celebrate Robyn's birthday, Alison's 10 year anniversary and Ramune's moving on to new landscape architect post in her native Lituania

And so lets raise our glasses
Get up of our arses
Toast all of us: past, present future
By Terra Firma we are bound!

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Ok, so it’s not spring just yet. It’s a fun little verse though, no matter which version you know, so why not deploy it a touch early…especially when the signs of spring are bursting out all around? Bulbs pushing through the still frosty ground…morning birdsong growing more buoyant by the day…dormant buds tentatively unfurling to test the air…all bringing with them an overwhelming sense of relief that the coldest, darkest days of the seasons are behind us once more and we can look forward to brighter mornings, longer evenings and a curious abundance of chocolate eggs in supermarkets as the coming season shoves its foot in the door and tells winter it’s being evicted.

For Landscape Architects spring can be a real mixture of challenges and pleasures: landscape and visual impact assessments become more difficult as foliage starts to obscure views; Contractors, Clients and Project Managers feel the pressure of finishing planting jobs before the end of the season, often at a time when the weather casually alternates between too cold and too wet.

But it’s wonderful to watch the landscape leaf up, a lush patchwork quilt nestling over the land, draping town and country alike in green until they resemble the landscape masterplans found on our drawing boards. It’s always exciting to see dormant planting designs come to life, gradually punctuated with vivid interruptions of colour which constantly change as the months pass.

It’s invigorating to become spurred on by the approach of summer, filled with the promise of landscapes brimming with life as everyone makes the most of the warmest months of the year. Every season has something to offer, but many would agree that spring has the most potential to be uplifting. A new beginning. A fresh start.

Let’s try to pause now and again, look around, take in the opening buds, the brave little bulbs, the cheerful birdsong, and enjoy the onset of the new season and all the promise it holds, looking forward to the rest of the year. Oh, and if you time it right, discounted chocolate eggs.

Not quite time yet, but we're ready and waiting

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Pleaching commonly appearing in many front gardens

Any theme or style I saw, did not strike me as being overly used and repeated across many gardens (if pollarding and pleaching trees as well as topiary is not considered) or have a unifying style, except that one that could be associated with the country’s overall look.

But then speaking to a nurserymen , a  different story behind those gardens  becomes  apparent. People are very responsive to fashion trends when buying trees, therefore nursery stock is very much affected by this. Amongst trees considered as a matter of fashion there were cedars (currently not en vogue), ornamental trees, horse chestnuts, even oaks!

When designing in UK, trees are rarely something I would consider as a fashion element, although it probably is among the garden design fraternity. We are more likely to be swayed by latest information on climate change or disease resistance. It is the ornamental shrubs, grasses, shapes and materials that are easily associated with trends in garden design, rather than magnificent trees, such as cedars and oaks, which to my mind are the legacy of  stability in the surrounding changing world – quite opposite to the dynamics of the fashion. Interestingly, I recently came across the article in Garden design magazine, where Tim Richardson was also investigating the rationale behind the trends in gardening and concluded that ‘it is about the state of mind’, and each country has its own of course. 

For the above reasons (and no doubt many others) the way Dutch people shape their landscape is different to typical British landscape scenery – what a good way to appreciate different Genius Loci when travelling. Nevertheless the landscape in Netherlands is inspiring with it’s neat shapes, uniform tree avenues (made of poplars that are planted with intention to be chopped eventually) and a close attention to detail that I find very appealing. 

Lastly, my discovery of a tree was the ‘swing-tree’, which is intended to be popular in the garden schemes (platanus hispanica, roof-top shape – see pic). It takes good 12 or so years to shape it to look this way. The fashion better not change faster than that!

'Swing tree' in Ven Den Berk nurseries

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All sorts of ideas and images float through my mind. Campaigns like Keep Britain Tidy. The knowledge being spread that there is ‘No dog poo fairy’. Royal Mail red rubber bands being returned. Gum removal in town centres. What happened to refunds on bottles?

Education is obviously one solution. Children can be taught acceptable community behaviour by parents and schools. But the children are also influenced by parents and others who may not personally have such acceptable behaviour and themselves contribute to littering, be it an older teenage brother dropping a drinks can, or an older neighbour hoofing a mattress over the fence into local green space. Learnt behaviour can be difficult to shift.

Do well maintained landscapes with regularly mown grass, clipped hedges and neatly pruned vegetation help to create enough of a sense of pride in local areas so as to ‘stop the drop’? Do we want everywhere looking manicured? Would it work? And with what effect on ecology?

Singapore – too manicured?

The ‘no littering’ mantra rolled out in manicured Singapore is renowned. The import, sale and possession of chewing gum is banned there due to the high cost and difficulty in removing stuck gum from public space and property. Some years ago Terra Firma tendered, sadly unsuccessfully, for an urban design project aimed at giving a much needed facelift to a Hampshire town centre. Force of public feeling led to the abandonment of the chosen proposals and the purchase of a special chewing gum removal machine instead.

I read that litter costs local authorities £500million a year to clean up. On a recent walk I spoke to a local resident who told me she had reported the same litter problem to the local authority on numerous occasions to no avail. She was, when I spoke to her, taking matters into her own hands and had created two heaps of rubbish, cleared from the undergrowth and grass areas to the grass areas around her housing block. To me it looked far worse mounded up. She speculated with me about whether, if she rang again, the local authority would collect it now. We both wait to see.

Will this be collected?

If we all persistently reported litter problems through websites such as ‘fixmystreet’ and local authorities were forced through sheer volume of complaints to clear up, would we simply be driving council tax costs higher to cover the fix? Or would they start to consider alternative campaigns of action in order to reduce clearing up costs in these times of financial hardship?

One action possible is fining. Is this the solution? If you are caught littering by a local authority warden they can give you an on the spot fine of up between £50 and £80. If the police catch you littering and you are charged, it can be up to £2,500. I suppose the problem is catching you. In some countries points can be added to a driving licence for throwing litter from a vehicle. Does this include apple cores? I quite like the quirky crop on the roadside in the autumn.

Is community action the solution? Should we tackle our neighbourhoods ourselves? Behind my house is a large, unmanaged but protected, oak woodland, with many paths used by the local community as an unofficial public rights of way. Every now and again I take a black sack through the wood and clear up litter; the odd can here and there, sweet wrappers, plastic. More items replace those picked up over time and I begin to wonder if, by doing this seemingly good deed, that I am perpetuating the problem. Do others think that it’s fine to drop litter because it always gets cleared up in the end? Should I stop?

I have reported two dumped cars locally. One, burnt out on the edge of a local public open space, was moved in the end (luckily not before my husband successfully extracted a rear light to mend his own car). The second, reported to Hampshire County Council around 10 years ago, had been abandoned on the side of a local bridleway. It still sits there and rots further each year. I am reliably informed it was a Mini Metro. If it rots further I may be able to start putting pieces in my black sack.

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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”.

Another accusation levelled at developers is that they are “doing some good” by providing homes for people and giving something back to the community, true but let’s face it in the end its all down to profit and without that how many houses would be built? Should we be willing to sacrifice our landscape for inappropriate developments?

So how does this compare with the situation we find 75 years later? To my mind not much has changed in the intervening years. An opinion reinforced by the sight of a ‘modern’ style building with stone filled gabions to the driveway, semi-sunken front façade and oddly metallic asymmetrical roof sited midway along a row of red brick late Victorian detached houses. The impact on the street scene is incongruous and ruins any idea of rhythm along the road. The eye is drawn to this monstrosity and detracts from the street as a whole.

Betjeman’s argument was that “all people who spoil decent country should go to prison”. His reasoning being that littering the streets is punishable with a fine, whereas building inappropriately and littering the countryside with houses is not.

Betjeman’s answer to combat the problem of ugly buildings was to plant more trees, if everyone to plant a tree in their back garden then the balance would be retained. Any old tree will do, except for conifers – only suitable for Bournemouth apparently.

This is one idea that seems to have filtered through to the developer. However, it has now almost become mandatory to fill any available space with them regardless of location or site constraints.

So Betjeman’s rules for the developer are:

1. Employ a qualified architect.

2. Use local material, or similar coloured material in keeping with the local character.

3. Don’t try and be different from everyone else in the road, it makes the whole road uglier.

4. Don’t build low useless walls, plant a hedge instead.

Just remember and bear in mind Betjeman’s concluding statement; “leaves and trees and bushes have made England beautiful in the past,….there is no reason why new houses should be ugly…if you build plainly and fight against flashy rubbish you will leave England fit for your children to live in”.

Whether you agree with Betjeman or not his simple rules do seem to make sense, after all he was right about Slough.

Source – John Betjeman: Trains and Buttered Toast: Selected Radio Talks

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