The architectural morphology, defined by stepped roofs and terraces, provided the foundation for innovation. Landscape Tectonix reinterpreted these architectural gestures into a Ring Loop, dissolving boundaries between indoor and outdoor education. Terraces became topographical interventions, expanding the functional footprint vertically. This gradient of “Nature Labs” and “Life Studios” supports diverse activities, from micro-scale science experiments to large-scale assemblies, ensuring every space contributes to holistic growth.

Four performance zones anchor the campus:

• The Forest (Garden Gallery): A ground-level ecological buffer with layered vegetation for thermal comfort. It features “The Forest Bleacher,” a social hub for informal exchange and peer learning.
• The Hilltop (Life Studio): A rooftop sanctuary extending homeroom learning into a serene, open-air environment for collaboration and mindfulness.
• The Valley (Nature Lab): Connecting terraces functioning as living laboratories and exhibition galleries, bridging the school’s wings.
• The Ridge (Energetic Ground): A dynamic spine facilitating athletic exploration through integrated trails and playscapes.

The design prioritizes social and ecological resilience by embedding nature into the school’s core. Students encounter biodiversity not as backdrop but as active participant in their education. Shaded retreats, ecological buffers, and adaptive microclimates provide restorative environments that enhance cognitive development, emotional wellbeing, and informal learning.

Central to the vision is the Wellbeing Planting Strategy, which responds to Bangkok’s urban challenges of PM2.5 pollution and heat. Plant species were meticulously selected for air purification, oxygen generation, dust-trapping, and thermal comfort. Vertical layering of vegetation creates natural insulation and acoustic buffers, regulating temperature and filtering pollutants while offering tranquil sanctuaries for reflection and play.

The landscape is not ornamental, it is performative. It acts as a high-performance environmental filter, a resilient ecosystem, and a living classroom. By aligning ecological performance with student wellbeing, D-PREP demonstrates how landscape architecture can transform schools into regenerative environments that nurture both community and nature.

Ultimately, D-PREP International School is more than a campus. It is a learning journey woven into the landscape, where every space whether forest, ridge, valley, or hilltop becomes a stage for curiosity, resilience, and global citizenship. Sustainability here is not an accessory but the foundation of the educational experience.

Technical Information

The technical innovation of D-PREP International School lies in its seamless integration of landscape and architecture. The stepped-roof morphology by Plan Architect was reinterpreted by Landscape Tectonix into a continuous Ring Loop, dissolving boundaries between indoor and outdoor education. This loop expands the educational footprint vertically, creating a gradient of “Nature Labs” and “Life Studios” that support diverse scales of learning.

Performance Zones
• Garden Gallery (Forest): Ground-level ecological buffer with vertical vegetation layering for thermal comfort. Includes “Forest Bleacher” as a social node.
• Life Studio (Hilltop): Rooftop sanctuary extending homeroom learning into open-air collaboration and mindfulness.
• Nature Lab (Valley): Interstitial terraces functioning as living laboratories and exhibition galleries.
• Energetic Ground (Ridge): Linear spine facilitating athletic exploration through integrated trails and playscapes.

Wellbeing Planting Strategy Plant species were selected under strict environmental performance criteria:
• Air Purification: Species capable of filtering urban toxins.
• Oxygen Generation: Maximizing photosynthetic rates for a fresh-air campus.
• Dust-Trapping: Foliage textures designed to capture PM2.5 particulate matter.
• Thermal Comfort: Native canopy trees strategically placed to mitigate the Urban Heat Island effect.

Adaptive Microclimates Strategic vertical layering of vegetation provides natural thermal insulation and acoustic buffers against Bangkok’s urban environment. This biophilic approach regulates microclimate, enhances cognitive function, and supports physical health.

The landscape is conceived as green infrastructure, not decorative softscape. It functions as a resilient urban ecosystem, embedding biodiversity and wellbeing into the school’s core. By aligning ecological performance with educational goals, D-PREP demonstrates how landscape architecture can redefine institutional design as a regenerative, high-performance environment.

D-PREP International School

Architect: Plan Architect
Landscape Architect: Landscape Tectonix

Text: Landscape Tectonix
Images: Landscape Tectonix
Photographer: Panoramic Studio

The post D-PREP International School | Landscape Tectonix appeared first on World Landscape Architecture. Damian Holmes

Landscape architecture for the project was led by interdisciplinary design firm Ayers Saint Gross, working with engineering and planning firm Kimley-Horn. Together the teams shaped outdoor spaces that acknowledge the site’s history while supporting a forward-looking district centered on collaboration and discovery.

The development occupies land once home to Charlotte’s Brooklyn neighborhood—a thriving Black community that was displaced during mid-20th-century urban renewal. A key objective for the design team was ensuring that the new district acknowledges and reflects that history.

“From the outset, there was a clear imperative to celebrate the rich history that had been lost in the ’60s with this new phase of development,” says Amelle Schultz, ASLA, PLA, SITES AP, principal at Ayers Saint Gross. “The idea of knitting together the story of the neighborhood and its vibrant community with the solutions was there from the earliest planning stages.”

Elements of this narrative appear throughout the landscape. The central plaza’s tiered gardens and gathering areas echo the form of “Jacob’s Ladder,” a stairway that once connected parts of the historic neighborhood and its school. Interpretive signage and community-informed storytelling moments further connect visitors to the cultural legacy of the site.

Custom site elements also play an important role in shaping the experience of the district’s outdoor spaces. Landscape Forms’ custom division, Studio 431, worked closely with the design team to develop a series of bespoke features, including planter walls that organize circulation and create tiered gathering zones, a custom bar supporting outdoor dining, and a set of contemporary bench swings inspired by the familiar form of the front porch swing.

Positioned along the district’s linear “Purposeful Walk,” which links buildings, plazas and nearby parkland, the swings provide shaded places to pause and connect. “The benches take a familiar form—the front porch swing—but they’re reinterpreted in a contemporary way,” Schultz explains. Jason A. Castillo, PLA, ASLA, associate principal at Ayers Saint Gross, notes that the design intentionally evokes the social rituals of everyday life. “They’re welcoming spaces for storytelling and connection—places that recall moments like sitting outside with your grandparents,” he says.

Standard site furnishings and lighting complement the custom installations across the site. Dining and lounge seating from Landscape Forms’ Chipman and Parc Centre lines create flexible outdoor environments for gathering and relaxation, while wood-topped Link concrete benches line key pedestrian routes. Cantilevered Tuuci® Ocean Master umbrellas provide shade in the plaza, and Generation 50 litter and recycling receptacles elegantly support day-to-day stewardship.

Lighting design was equally integral to the public realm strategy. Multi-head Rama area lights illuminate the plaza while minimizing pole count and preserving open sightlines. Along the Purposeful Walk, SHUFFLE smart lighting columns incorporate programmable light rings, wayfinding and emergency features that connect with Charlotte’s broader Uptown lighting network—allowing the district to mark civic events and holidays through coordinated citywide illumination.

At The Pearl Innovation District, the landscape functions as connective infrastructure—linking institutions, histories and everyday human experiences. Through a combination of custom solutions and carefully selected standard site elements, the outdoor spaces support gathering, movement and reflection while reinforcing a strong sense of civic identity. The result is a public realm that not only serves a new center of medical innovation, but also creates meaningful places for the community to connect with the past and with one another.

The Pearl Innovation District

Location: Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Design Partners: Ayers Saint Gross, Kimley-Horn
Team Members: Whiting Turner

Landscape Forms Site Elements: Rama Area Lights, SHUFFLE Lights, Chipman Tables, Chipman Chairs, Chipman Stools, Parc Centre Lounges, Generation 50 Litter & Recycling, Tuuci® Ocean Master Cantilever Umbrellas

Photography: Triggs Photography, LLC

Landscape Forms is a proud WLA Sponsor

The post The Pearl Innovation District Integrates Medical Innovation, History, and Public Life appeared first on World Landscape Architecture. Damian Holmes

Jefferson Memorial Forest (JMF) Master Plan establishes a long-term vision for the stewardship, conservation, and enhancement of nearly 7,000 acres of forestland in southern Louisville and northern Bullitt County, making it the largest municipally owned and managed urban forest in the United States. Extending approximately 8.5 miles east to west, the plan balances ecological protection with expanded recreation, education, destination-based experiences, and meaningful public access while honoring the forest’s role as a memorial to the nation’s fallen veterans. Developed through a nine-month planning process informed by extensive ecological analysis, inventory mappinig, stakeholder collaboration, and feedback from more than 1,100 community participants, the master plan establishes a practical framework for future investments and management.

Ecologically, Jefferson Memorial Forest represents one of the region’s most significant natural assets. The forest contains extensive interior forest habitat, intact headwater stream systems, wetlands, mature hardwood forests, and nearly 60 miles of trails supporting more than 200 plant species, 275 species of trees and understory plantings, along with diverse wildlife. Approximately 3,960 acres (59%) function as interior forest habitat, while 2,472 (37%) are protected as a Kentucky State Nature Preserve. The assessment identifies highly erodible soils, ecologically sensitive streams, rare and endangered species, and conservation easements requiring careful stewardship. Key recommendations include establishing 300-foot vegetated riparian buffers, restoring wetlands and stream corridors, protecting mature forest habitat, controlling invasive species, strengthening biodiversity, improving water quality, and integrating resilient ecological management into all future development.

The master plan recommends transforming Jefferson Memorial Forest into a nationally recognized outdoor destination while preserving its ecological integrity. Major initiatives include creating stronger gateways and visitor hubs, expanding trail connectivity and wayfinding, enhancing camping and future eco-lodging opportunities, improving environmental education, introducing new adventure recreation, strengthening operational facilities, and implementing coordinated branding and interpretation. Phased implementation emphasizes strategic investments, partnerships, funding opportunities, ecological restoration, visitor experience enhancements, and operational improvements that reinforce connectivity, stewardship, recreation, education, and long-term resilience. Collectively, these recommendations position Jefferson Memorial Forest as both a premier regional destination and a national model for sustainable urban forest conservation, environmental education, and outdoor recreation.

Jefferson Memorial Forest Master Plan

Location: Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Design Firm / Planning & Landscape Architecture: MKSK
Architecture: Olson Kundig
Programming: PROS Consulting
Lodging / Market Analysis: CHM Government Services
Environmental Analysis: Biohabitats
Public: Booker Design Collaborative
Estimating: Robert Pass Associates

Client / Owner: Louisville Metro

Images and Text Credit: MKSK

The post Jefferson Memorial Forest Master Plan | MKSK appeared first on World Landscape Architecture. Damian Holmes

Located within the Jianghan Plain, the Chenhu International Important Wetland is a critical sanctuary along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Historically fragmented by intensive aquaculture and hydrological disruption, the wetland was restored to its natural rhythms through a systemic “de-engineering” strategy. By re-establishing hydrological connectivity, diversifying micro-habitats, and transitioning from production-oriented use to ecological preservation, the initiative has successfully revitalized a premier biodiversity hotspot. As a flagship site for the COP14 Ramsar Convention, it serves as a global model for large-scale wetland repair and sustainable coexistence.

Context and Ecological Challenges

Chenhu Wetland, a 11,579-hectare RAMSAR site, was once a vast, seasonal floodplain. However, decades of human intervention—primarily the construction of dikes for aquaculture—severed its hydrological arteries and homogenized the landscape. These internal “walls” obstructed the movement of aquatic species and degraded the complex mosaic of habitats (shallows, marshes, and meadows) required by diverse avian populations. The project’s mission was to “return the space to nature” by dismantling these barriers and restoring the site’s self-sustaining capacity.

Restoring the Hydrological Pulse

The restoration prioritized the recovery of the wetland’s “respiratory” cycle—the dramatic seasonal fluctuation of water levels. A massive hydrological connectivity initiative involved 63,500 cubic meters of targeted earthwork to clear silted channels and remove abandoned dikes. This “de-walling” approach integrated fragmented ponds back into the larger lake system, facilitating nutrient exchange and creating a seamless “bio-highway” for fish and amphibians, while ensuring reliable water supply during drought periods.

Habitat Heterogeneity and Food Web Reconstruction

A core component was the transformation of 36,030 square meters of hyper-eutrophic fish ponds into high-functioning “avian canteens.” The team removed 4,370 cubic meters of polluted sediment, utilizing the nutrient-rich spoil to create topographical diversity through ecological islands and gentle slopes. Native vegetation, including Carex, Vallisneria, and Phragmites, was reintroduced to establish a multi-layered littoral zone. To jumpstart the ecosystem, the project reconstructed the food web by reintroducing native benthos (snails and clams) and fish species, effectively restoring the predator-prey balance essential for migratory birds.

Social-Ecological Stewardship

The project integrated an innovative ecological compensation and “livelihood replacement” program. By compensating local stakeholders for the transition away from intensive farming, the project reduced human interference while fostering a community-based stewardship model. This transition ensured that the restoration was not only an environmental victory but a socially sustainable transformation.

Impact and Legacy

Today, Chenhu has reclaimed its status as a vital “Gene Bank.” Monitoring data shows a significant surge in both the diversity and density of rare species, such as the Oriental Stork and Greater White-fronted Goose. The project demonstrates how landscape architecture can transcend aesthetics to perform deep ecological repair, harmonizing ancient seasonal pulses with modern conservation imperatives.

Technical Information

Project Scale: The nature reserve covers a total area of 6,902.51 hectares, which is divided into functional zones including core, buffer, and experimental areas. To support seasonal avian migration, community-owned lands and wetlands have been designated under a comprehensive ecological benefit compensation framework.

Hydrological & Terrain Engineering: Silted canals and channels were cleared, and connecting sluice gates were reconstructed to restore natural water connectivity across the freshwater lake network. Adhering to sustainable principles, dredged mud from overgrown ponds was repurposed on-site to construct irregularly shaped habitat islands and diverse micro-topographies. Water source conservation forests were established along embankments to solidify shorelines, prevent erosion, and intercept agricultural surface runoff.

Plant Species List:
Canopy Trees: Pond Cypress was planted extensively for shoreline conservation and buffer creation alongside Chinese Tallow and Chinese Hackberry.
Wetland & Aquatic Vegetation: Emergent and submerged species were established to purify water and restore healthy aquatic ecosystems, featuring Common Reed, Cattail, Yellow Iris, Umbrella Papyrus, Dwarf Eelgrass, and Gorgon Vetch.
Terrestrial Grasses: Banks and ground surfaces were stabilized using ornamental varieties such as Little Bunny Pennisetum, Needle Grass, Golden Sedge, and Bermuda Grass.

Materials & Hardscape: Preservative-treated pine wood decking and flamed granite were utilized for pedestrian pathways, platform decks, and steps. A bird monitoring station houses a multi-functional nature education hall, complemented by outdoor educational platforms and bird-watching hides constructed with steel frames and tempered safety glass. Durable concrete benches resembling natural logs are distributed along the pathways.

Standards & Technology: Planned and implemented in compliance with Ramsar Convention guidelines and national standards for nature reserves and wetland protection. The reserve is managed via a digitized biological monitoring system equipped with a comprehensive network of environmental Internet-of-Things sensing devices to monitor hydrology, weather, and wildlife populations.

Chenhu International Important Wetland

Designers:
Shanghai WEME Landscape Design Engineering Co.,Ltd.;
Shanghai JiaoTong University;
Wuhan Ecological WEME Landscape Planning and Design Research Institute Co.,Ltd.

Designers:
Zhu Liqing, Song Benyun, Chen Shu, Chen Yue, Xiong Zhangze, Zhu Xiaoyuan, Xue Ning, Zhang Aijiu, Jiang Min, Wan Fang, Yu Jiaying, Zheng Yingjie, Yang Tai, Zhou Juanzhen, Wu Mianzhi, Lu Jie, Ye Xiaotao, Shen Manjuan, Huang Yucui

Client:
Wuhan Chenhu Wetland Administration Bureau

Images & Text: Shanghai WEME Landscape Design Engineering Co.

The post Beyond the Furrow: Restoring Ecological Connectivity and Sustainable Coexistence in Chenhu appeared first on World Landscape Architecture. Damian Holmes

Design Workshop welcomes Nate Cormier, ASLA, PLA, as its Senior Designer. With more than 25 years of experience, including the past decade at RIOS in Los Angeles, Cormier will serve as a senior design lead, collaborating across studios and disciplines to advance the firm’s design practice and expand opportunities in California and nationally. 

His arrival comes as Design Workshop marks a new chapter in its nearly six-decade history. With a refreshed brand and identity now in place, the firm is looking ahead with renewed clarity about the ideas that have long shaped its work: a deep understanding of place, an enduring commitment to design excellence, and a belief in landscape’s ability to create meaningful value. Cormier brings a complementary perspective, broadening the conversation about how landscape can make people more present, curious, and engaged with the world around them.

Cormier’s addition also marks an important next step in the ongoing growth of Design Workshop’s Los Angeles studio and its presence across California. His longstanding regional relationships and extensive hospitality expertise strengthen an important area of the practice, building on Design Workshop’s experience in the sector.

“Nate brings a rare combination of design leadership, regional knowledge and an ability to work across complex environmental and cultural contexts. His approach is grounded in understanding intrinsic qualities and translating this insight into poetic places. That perspective, together with his hospitality expertise and relationships, will strengthen our practice and create new opportunities for our teams and clients.”

Becky Zimmermann, CEO

Cormier’s portfolio includes significant civic, cultural, public realm, and hospitality projects, such as Palm Springs Downtown Park, recipient of the 2022 ASLA Professional Award of Excellence in General Design; 1 Hotel West Hollywood; Skyline Park in Denver; and Philbrook Museum of Art & Gardens in Tulsa. His work is grounded in the climate, culture, ecology, and history of each place.

“What draws me to Design Workshop is the depth and range of capabilities that define the practice,. There is an ability to rigorously analyze what a landscape needs to be healthy and viable over the long term and then to bring tremendous creative ambition to how people enjoy and care for it. I see an opportunity to bring those strengths even closer together, to amplify the context of a place and create landscapes that help people become present, curious and connected.” 

Nate Cormier

Beyond his design practice, Cormier has remained actively involved with the American Society of Landscape Architects and the Landscape Architecture Foundation throughout his career, including serving four years on LAF’s Board of Directors. His ongoing research explores the role of embodied, multisensory experience in an increasingly digital world.

Cormier holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Bowdoin College. He is a registered landscape architect, WELL Accredited Professional, and LEED Accredited Professional. 

The post Nate Cormier Joins Design Workshop as Senior Designer appeared first on World Landscape Architecture. Damian Holmes

WLA | What has changed most in your thinking about biodiversity over the past 30 years?

Andrew Grant – Thirty years ago, I knew that biodiversity needed to be a key part of sustainable landscape architecture. But back then, projects often focused most on ‘hero’ species like the legally protected Black Redstart in England. Today, biodiversity is much closer to the centre of the design conversation globally, although some practitioners still treat it as a design constraint rather than a creative opportunity.   Nowadays I design holistically – integrating ecologically robust, diverse habitats, that support many species, sometimes in novel combinations, and connect into larger living systems with extensive co-benefits.  My collaborations with Mike combine creative landscape design with ecological science.  Our rapport is founded on a deep mutual respect for our respective disciplines, combined with a willingness to cross boundaries.  The fact that Mike and I are both Royal Designers for Industry reflects a shared belief that ecological thinking belongs within design culture, not outside it.

Mike Wells – Thirty years ago, my reports might have begun with protective legislation, but regulation alone has not stemmed global biodiversity loss. Today, my conviction that biodiversity needs legal protection has not changed, but I now focus from the outset on making biodiversity part of multifunctional design and explaining its long-term benefits to clients and communities.  Working with Andrew has given me a solid understanding of the thinking behind landscape architecture, architecture and engineering, complementing my ecological knowledge.  I increasingly use ‘ecological designer’ or ‘ecourbanist’ rather than simply ‘ecologist’, because professional labels can limit the role others imagine you should play in projects.

WLA | What does a biodiverse landscape look like?

Andrew Grant – A biodiverse landscape may not look conventionally attractive. A derelict urban site, for example, can appear untidy or neglected while supporting a rich variety of species through its mix of vegetation, habitats, microclimates, soils and water.  Design can make biodiversity legible and understood, enjoyed and valued.  In cities especially, birdsong, amazing insects, seasonal flowers, shade and water can create uplifting experiences – helping people see biodiversity differently, and become more aware of it.

Mike Wells – The level of biodiversity in a landscape is habitat-specific. But within a given habitat, research suggests that people can perceive greater biodiversity and may gain more psychological benefit from it, even without specialist knowledge.  Some habitats are naturally species-poor but have enormous conservation and ecosystem-service value, such as exposed mudflats.  Others can be visibly biodiverse in summer yet appear lifeless in winter.  Moreover, people may benefit from seeing a landscape at its abundant best, but also from knowing that its latent wonder remains when it has died back.  Knowledge can make all the difference to the benefits, and creative interpretation can help people appreciate biodiversity in all its forms.

WLA | What changes when ecological design helps shape a project from the outset?

Andrew Grant – Ecologists should be part of the design process, not confined to site analysis or biodiversity metric calculations. Biodiversity is not simply something to tick off; it can be a powerful design element.  Mike is a designer as much as I am, although we approach each place from different starting points. The process depends on trust: entering each other’s territory, testing ideas and debating priorities before deciding the way forward together. Tension can arise when a habitat requirement appears to compromise another objective, but this is often productive. It makes us seek a response in which ecology, human experience and the identity of place reinforce one another.  The process is rarely linear. We may move repeatedly between ecological analysis, spatial ideas, materials and practical constraints before the right synthesis becomes clear.

Mike Wells – Experienced design ecologists should be involved from the beginning.  Specialist knowledge may be required at different stages, but early ecological imagination can shape the concept rather than assess a largely completed design. Integrating healthy, biodiverse semi-natural habitat into cities in a way people accept can be very challenging and demands sophisticated ecological design. I bring detailed knowledge of habitats, species and ecological processes to the table as design ingredients. Andrew has a particular ability to identify the core opportunity, synthesize these ingredients and extend their geographical and social reach beyond the ownership boundary.  The best results come when neither discipline simply passes requirements to the other; we develop the proposition iteratively and remain engaged through construction and long-term management.

WLA | Which projects represented significant steps forward in your shared approach?

Mike Wells – Our collaboration on Greenwich Peninsula was formative. When Andrew asked me in 1997 to explore ecological concepts for its hard river edges, I initially questioned what difference a small urban intervention could have.  However, the intertidal terraces we conceived to replace part of the sheet-piled river wall used tidal range and carefully calibrated gradients to create different habitats. They were later extended, becoming an important nursery habitat for thousands of sea bass.  Striking installations next to the terraces were designed to interpret the unseen ecology, tidal forces and climate risks.  Greenwich taught me that even a small urban habitat can exert an influence far beyond its physical footprint.  It can influence what Félix Guattari called the ecology of ideas: the concepts and convictions that shape our relationship with nature and make us better stewards of it.

Andrew Grant – Our collaborations in Malaysia and Singapore, including the Sentosa Island masterplan, extended our thinking from individual sites to connected catchments: mountains and rainforest, lowlands and mangroves, reefs and islands.  That sectional understanding has informed many subsequent projects.  For example, it’s behind our ‘Renature the City’ vision for Monaco, where the ecological and cultural ‘currency’ of limestone underpins a strategy to connect the mountains of France to the Mediterranean through the urban fabric.

At a more intimate scale, the long-term future of the Tower of London moat has demanded close interdisciplinary collaboration and precise multifunctional design.  Creating a naturalistic landscape rich in native biodiversity, informed by heritage and resilient to climate change, has depended on multiple micro-decisions about levels, soil depth, water and long-term maintenance, which has been a process akin to surgery.

WLA | How are climate change and other demands altering the biodiversity conversation?

Andrew Grant – We are no longer designing only to protect existing conditions, but for ecosystems that must survive a very different future.  The debate about urban trees illustrates the difficulty: species most likely to tolerate future climates may not support the same diversity of native insects and birds. We now need biodiversity reservoirs where ecological transition can occur, while managing existing landscapes to sustain canopy and green cover against extreme heat and rainfall.  This raises difficult questions about how much change we accept, which species we prioritise and what we mean by ‘native’ as climatic ranges shift. Every landscape must also meet changing needs for recreation, access, water management and wellbeing. Designing for biodiversity therefore means creating flexible landscapes that remain coherent, welcoming and uplifting.

Mike Wells – The pace of climatic change demands greater attention to how habitats will survive and evolve. I now always consider how species disperse between patches and corridors, how native and non-native species interact, and the variation that gives species capacity to adapt.  The Renature the City strategy for Monaco perhaps represents the fullest development of our shared response to date. Here, we co-developed an illustrated toolbox of locally specific nature-based solutions, informed by a deep analysis of the habitats and species within and around the city, to improve Monaco’s climate resilience, biodiversity and amenity.  The aim was not to create and then’ freeze’ habitats, but rather to create connected, resilient systems with a distinctive local character, within which all species and people can adapt to inevitable climate change.

WLA | Has greater recognition of biodiversity in policy necessarily produced better landscapes?

Andrew Grant – In England, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) has moved biodiversity from a peripheral ‘nice to have’ to a legal development requirement. In theory, the system should deliver considerable benefits for biodiversity, especially where projects connect nature-recovery networks across larger landscapes. But in dense urban settings, BNG can also often encourage compromise and poor design especially where clients are very averse to paying for offsite credits.  A scheme cannot be considered successful if it meets the statutory BNG requirement but fails to respond convincingly to its setting or fulfill its wider landscape potential. The landscape profession should identify where England’s BNG system conflicts with other objectives and propose changes that create better synergies and wider benefits.

Mike Wells – No, it has not – as Andrew points out!   However, stronger biodiversity policy and law have great potential to inform better landscapes.  Today, biodiversity is recognised not only under sections in planning documents on nature conservation and restoration worldwide, but also under health and wellbeing, water management, climate change and resilience, all emphasizing the multiple potential benefits of good biodiverse design.  That’s why a collaborative and holistic approach to the design of biodiverse landscapes and their management planning is so essential.  It’s the best way to deliver biodiversity policy goals and create multifunctional landscapes that endure.   This is true even when there is a legal mandate for monitoring and long-term aftercare (as in BNG) because policing and enforcement are often prone to fail.  Measures for nature implemented grudgingly for legal compliance may often be reversed down the line, whereas people will always better protect and nurture landscapes that they love and understand.

Thank you to Andrew Grant and Mike Wells for providing insights into how they have designed for biodiversity over the past thirty years.

The post Thirty years of designing for biodiversity appeared first on World Landscape Architecture. Damian Holmes

Hi Damian,

This week I’m turning 50, so a profile seems perfectly timed.

I have now spent the majority of my life as a landscape architect, which is in itself mind-blowing. For more than a decade I was a partner at White, one of the industry’s largest firms, and one of the people who helped establish landscape architecture as an important discipline within what was otherwise a building-focused practice. I was fortunate to help lead the firm’s renewed international ambitions, working on projects beyond Scandinavia and overseas. I loved being part of a large organisation, ensuring that the perspective of landscape architects was heard and that landscape played an integral role in shaping design outcomes.

I am based in Malmö, part of the Greater Copenhagen region. For the last five years, I have worked at the small but influential practice Kragh-Berglund. The office was founded by people connected to SLA and was very much part of the Danish design culture that has achieved international recognition over the past decades. It was a place where strong design and nature-based thinking went hand in hand, deeply rooted in Danish craft and design traditions.

As the firm gradually scaled back, I decided to establish my own practice together with my wife, Nevena Krilic, a graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. MMX YYZ combines references to our respective cities, Malmö and Toronto.

The practice is conceived as a boutique studio that will pursue the full scope of work undertaken by landscape architects and architects. We have found an ideal location overlooking my favourite square in Malmö, Drottningtorget. It will serve both as a design studio and as a gallery, showcasing exhibitions focused on landscape, nature and architecture.

Through years of involvement with editorial boards such as Landskab magazine and various professional organisations, I have built up a wide network of contacts. It feels like the right time to invite professionals to exhibit their work and demonstrate to the public the remarkable things happening within our profession. Unlike WLA’s global online platform, the ambition here is something much smaller and more local: a physical place for conversation, exhibitions and exchange in the heart of the Greater Copenhagen region.

WLA | What did you learn about landscape architecture from judging the 2026 WLA Awards?

NdB | I think WLA performs an important role by bringing together perspectives from different parts of the world. While judging, it became clear that different regions have developed distinct traditions within the profession. The challenges we face are often similar, but the responses vary greatly depending on local culture, geography and professional history.

North America remains particularly strong in understanding landscape at a territorial scale, rooted in traditions of surveying, conservation and environmental stewardship. Various Asian regions demonstrate both remarkable precision in small-scale projects and extraordinary ambition in large-scale interventions. Meanwhile, Scandinavia and Northern Europe continue to excel in placemaking and innovative approaches to integrating nature into everyday urban environments. Take the SLA project, The Social Spine, as an example.

What I learned most clearly is that landscape architects are involved in some incredibly important projects and processes. When you see the scale of ecological restoration projects being delivered in China, for example, it makes you wish we were undertaking similar initiatives here. Like the SWA project Xili Lake Greenway. Of course, land ownership, governance, and planning create very different conditions, but it is difficult not to be inspired.

At the same time, some trends become universal solutions, detached from context. Using colour as a substitute for placemaking or allowing catalogues of standardised products to define public space, is not really landscape architecture. Landscape architecture should always be rooted in place, ecology and human experience rather than fashion or product specification.

WLA | You have served on various landscape professional organisations and Landskab magazine. What do you think is the most important issue that landscape architecture is dealing with?

NdB | In Europe today, nature restoration is becoming one of the most important topics of discussion. From my perspective in the Copenhagen region, we sit at the meeting point between large agricultural landscapes and Sweden’s vast forested territories.

Agriculture’s dominance in Denmark has produced severe environmental consequences. Biodiversity has collapsed in many areas, water systems are under pressure, and natural habitats have largely disappeared from the landscape. To say Denmark has struggled with biodiversity would be an understatement.

The positive development is that this situation has finally created political momentum. We are now seeing unprecedented ambitions for forest planting, wetland restoration and large-scale ecological recovery. Denmark is genuinely trying to address some of these issues.

What is interesting is that landscape architects have, for many years, helped shape the cultural conditions that make this possible. From the avant-garde work of C.Th. Sørensen to Stig L. Andersson, SLA and their successors, Danish landscape architecture has maintained a strong design tradition. However, the content of that design tradition has changed.

Where formal compositions, clipped hedges and modernist sculptures once dominated, ecological processes, biodiversity and natural succession are increasingly becoming the central themes. During my years at Kragh-Berglund I experienced this shift first-hand, with projects gradually moving towards richer, wilder and more ecologically diverse environments.

At the same time, the discussions taking place in Landskab magazine often push these conversations even further. Here the questions become more radical. Should we retreat from coastlines rather than defend them against rising seas? How much land should be returned to nature? Should we intervene less and let natural succession play a greater role in shaping landscapes? What would a truly post-human approach to landscape architecture look like?

If these ideas continue to develop, Scandinavian landscape architecture may increasingly move beyond an anthropocentric perspective altogether.

I would argue that Danish landscape architects have played a significant role in creating public support for biodiversity, forest planting and ecological restoration. This has happened partly through advocacy, but also because the projects themselves have captured the public imagination. Urban residents have increasingly embraced biodiversity in cities, whether through meadows, climate adaptation projects or innovative stormwater landscapes. Art promotes ecology.

Sometimes, however, the success of these projects can encourage experimentation that goes a little too far.

One of the most influential public-space projects in Copenhagen in recent years is the Karen Minde Axis, which beautifully integrates climate adaptation into an existing urban landscape. The project demonstrates how technical infrastructure and public life can become part of the same design language. A great example of art leading way for engineers by Schönherr.

Its success has encouraged new ways of thinking throughout the profession. Today even cemeteries are occasionally discussed as potential sites for stormwater detention. This is where questions of cultural heritage become particularly important. While wetlands and burial traditions have a long and intertwined history in Scandinavia, we are perhaps not yet ready to bury our loved ones in a bog.

Then again, maybe that is exactly the kind of conversation landscape architecture will be having in the future.

Thank you to Niels for sending us this letter and sharing his thoughts on the WLA Awards and current topics of landscape architecture. We wish him well with the new landscape practice, MMX YYZ.

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Arcadia has recently announced a new studio on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, led by Jamie Franklin. A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) with over 30 years’ experience, Franklin leads large multidisciplinary teams on city-shaping programs, public realm precincts and infrastructure-led revitalisation.

As Principal Urban Design Lead at Sunshine Coast Council, he led major projects including the $100 million Mooloolaba Placemaking Master Plan and Foreshore Revitalisation, winner of nine industry awards, and the $17 million Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Centre, under development for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Franklin chairs AILA Sunshine Coast and is a former AILA Queensland Vice President.

Franklin will be joined by Associate Landscape Architect Katrina Duncan as the new Arcadia studio opens in Maroochydore. Duncan brings more than 13 years’ experience delivering complex landscape architecture and urban design projects across Australia. With expertise spanning health, education, public realm, corrections, infrastructure, and open space projects, Katrina combines strong design thinking with technical delivery skills. Together, the pair will work alongside Arcadia’s wider design team on some of the region’s most exciting sports, recreation, open space, and mixed-use projects.

“This is a big moment for Arcadia on the Sunshine Coast. Opening our new studio in Maroochydore, with Jamie and Katrina at the helm, means we can bring that experience and local knowledge directly into our work and start collaborating with the wider Arcadia design team on some of the region’s most exciting sports, recreation, open space and mixed-use projects,”

Arcadia Managing Director Alex Longley

Franklin said he was looking forward to bringing his experience to Arcadia’s growing Queensland presence.

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Harmony with Nature House – “The Conversation with Nature”
Nestled at the threshold of Khao Yai National Park, Harmony with Nature House is conceived as a sanctuary where architecture and landscape merge seamlessly with the surrounding forested mountains. Designed in collaboration between IDIN Architects and Landscape Tectonix Limited, the project embodies ecological sensitivity, privacy, and a timeless dialogue with nature.

Framing the Horizon
The garden is anchored by a reflecting pond strategically placed to capture and mirror the surrounding mountains and sky, extending the grandeur of the landscape into the residence. This water element acts as both a contemplative centerpiece and a living canvas, ensuring that peaks and clouds remain integral to daily life. Carefully studied sightlines from indoor and outdoor spaces reinforce the house’s enduring connection to its environment.

Topographical Choreography
The site’s natural contour, ranging from –7.00 to +0.50 meters, was carefully managed through precise grading to establish functional house levels while creating visual privacy and framed views. This strategy minimizes the visibility of the public road, ensuring uninterrupted immersion in the surrounding forest and mountains. An elevated universal walkway links two levels of the residence, serving as both circulation and experience framing panoramic scenes and encouraging interaction with nature in the pristine landscape of Khao Yai.

Entrance Hierarchy
The arrival sequence further enhances privacy and seclusion. Vehicles pass through an introductory forest and lake before entering the residence, with garden and waterfront gates carefully separating everyday circulation from the main living areas. This layered approach creates clear thresholds of intimacy while maintaining functional clarity.

Resilient Softscapes and Local Craftsmanship
Sustainability is embedded in every detail. Local materials; wood, stone, and pebbles are crafted by local contractors root the design in cultural authenticity and reduce embodied carbon. The landscape is divided into 40% native, low maintenance gardens and 60% seasonal wild meadows. Wildflowers, grasses, and herbaceous form resilient plant communities that evolve with the seasons, enhance biodiversity, and require almost no maintenance. Waterside plantings such as willow, crinum, and papyrus enrich ecological diversity while framing the pond’s reflective surface.

The horticultural framework shifts from ornamental gardening to successional ecology. By clustering native Thai species, the design fosters mutually beneficial plant communities that self-regulate, significantly reducing irrigation requirements and human intervention. Seasonal change becomes a design tool, offering residents unexpected encounters and a landscape that evolves naturally across cycles of growth, bloom, and decay.

The result is a private garden of simplicity, resilience, and beauty. By embracing native ecology, seasonal rhythms, and local craftsmanship, Harmony with Nature House offers a sanctuary where human life and nature coexist in harmony. It is not only a residence but a living landscape, one that reflects the grandeur of mountains and sky while sustaining ecological balance and cultural authenticity.

Technical Information

Harmony with Nature House employs an integrated site-specific strategy to harmonize residential programming with a challenging –7.00m to +0.50m topographical gradient. Situated at +0.00, the project utilizes cut and fill grading to establish functional house levels while creating visual privacy and framed views. The grading design minimizes the visibility of the public road, ensuring uninterrupted immersion in the surrounding forest and mountains.

Materiality & Ecological Strategy
Material selection prioritizes low embodied carbon and regional circularity. Local stone, wood, and pebble were sourced and crafted by local contractors to ensure durability and ease of long term maintenance.
The horticultural framework shifts from ornamental gardening to successional ecology. The landscape is divided into 40% native, low-maintenance gardens and 60% seasonal wild meadows. Planting selections include native Thai species such as Salix babylonica, Justica betonica, and Cyperus papyrus, clustered to foster mutually beneficial plant communities. This self-regulating system reduces irrigation demand and maintenance, allowing the landscape to evolve naturally across seasonal cycles.

Sustainability Outcomes
• Native flora: resilient, low-maintenance, and water-efficient.
• Seasonal meadows: dynamic landscapes that celebrate ecological change.
• Local materials & contractors: reduced carbon footprint and cultural authenticity.
• Hydrological integration: stormwater management and evaporative cooling.
Together, these strategies create a private garden that is ecologically resilient, culturally grounded, and experientially rich, an enduring sanctuary where architecture and landscape converse with nature.

Harmony with Nature House

Location: Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand

Landscape Architect: Landscape Tectonix

Architect: IDIN Architect
Interior Architect: IDIN Architect

Text: Landscape Tectonix

Photography: DOF Sky l Ground

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As landscape architects, we are striving to design and maintain biodiverse landscapes that mitigate climate change and the biodiversity crisis. While it’s great to include more species in our planting designs, simply increasing the species number isn’t enough. It’s important to think more deeply about how these species work together to truly enrich our landscape.

Microclimate and scale considerations

Landscape architects often design landscapes in urban environments (courtyards, pocket parks) with modified soils and microenvironmental variables such as radiant heat, altered wind patterns, and rain shadows. These environments require careful consideration when selecting plant species to create biodiverse landscapes; however, large-scale projects, including revegetation, require even more careful selection to create biodiverse, resilient landscapes because of site scale and the geology, hydrology, existing vegetation, and climate.

More than species mix

For over three decades, we have known that “diversity (a synonym of biodiversity and biological diversity) includes both number and composition of genotypes, species, functional types and landscape units in a given (eco) system” [1]. Therefore, when selecting and specifying plant species, we need to consider local site characteristics, species richness, functional traits, and genomic composition. Getting these considerations right allows us to build resilience and ecological redundancy into the design, so that if a pest or climatic impact (drought, heatwave, increased cold, etc.) occurs, ecosystem stability can be maintained. For example, a heat-resistant plant can maintain canopy cover and soil stabilisation while other plants in the ecosystem may decline.

The Growing Importance of Genomics

Looking beyond species and functional traits requires designers to consider genetic diversity within species. We often specify species but neglect the plant’s source (provenance), which can lead to planting genetic clones (or uniformity) through vegetative cloning or poor seed collection practices.  

With advances in plant genomics, which is the “study of the way genes and genetic information are organised within the genome, the methods of collecting and analysing this information” [2], we can start to understand species traits; however, as the focus has previously been on food crops and forest trees [3] we don’t have enough data for a broad range of species.

Recently, initiatives such as the Genomics for Australian Plants (GAP) framework [4] have generated plant genomic data to enable better conservation and understanding of plant diversity. Along with other science initiatives, such as sequencing full genomes and mapping genomic variation in Acacia pycnantha, which provide insights into “evolution, conservation, breeding, invasiveness, and physiology of the genus”[5], we can see precedents for studying other plant species, which in turn inform seed collection based on provenance, adaptive capacity, and genetic diversity.

Changes in genomics have led to “The advent of high-throughput molecular sequencing has opened up new tools for conservation and approaches that can be implemented at scale.[6]. This bodes well for understanding plant communities and developing better practices for collecting plant material and seeds for seed banks, herbaria, and nursery production. Also, “The availability of public genomic resources can greatly assist biodiversity assessment, conservation, and restoration efforts by providing evidence for scientifically informed management decisions.”[3]

These initiatives improve our understanding of genetic diversity, helping us select plants for conservation and regeneration initiatives that are resilient and meet our biodiversity objectives. This is especially important as many countries signed up to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which requires “urgent and transformative action by Governments, and subnational and local authorities, with the involvement of all of society, to halt and reverse biodiversity loss…” [7]

Designing for Biodiverse landscapes

As landscape architects, we have often relied on plant lists from well-known plant designers, governments, institutions, nurseries and conservation groups to create planting designs from gardens to large-scale rehabilitation and conservation work. Although these lists are useful, we need to understand the functional traits and relationships. Many designers and groups have already moved toward more biodiverse designs; however, everyone should keep the following points in mind when developing planting schemes.

Environmental Baseline Assessment
First, understand the existing soil, geology, vegetation, fauna(existing & local extinction), and climate, and consider the impacts of proposed site modifications (heat, water, light, wind, compaction, modified soils, etc).

Matching Traits to Site Conditions
By understanding the constraints and microclimate, we can identify the site’s niches and select plants based on appropriate traits (light tolerance, drought/water tolerance, root structure, habit, hardiness, phenology, etc.) to create a biodiverse, resilient landscape.

Plant Provenance and Climate Adaptation
When specifying plant species, we need to consider the source material (seed and vegetative), provenance, and traits. This also involves considering the effects of climate change, as “The ‘local is best’ for seed sourcing paradigm is predicated upon the assumption that ecotypes are genetically adapted to their local environment. However, local adaptations are potentially being outpaced by climate change….” [8]. When developing your species list, you may select different seed provenances to account for climate change, such as increased heat or humidity. However, you need to determine whether your client and local authorities allow plants from non-local provenances because of concerns about disrupting or polluting the local population.

Designing with Plant Communities and Interactions
Plants interact in many different ways, both negative and positive.[9] When developing your plant selection, understand plant communities, including plant-animal relationships, soil fauna, and mycorrhizal communities. Select plants with complementary functional traits and incorporate positive interactions (resource partitioning and facilitation) and negative interactions (species interference and competition)[10] in your design.

Plant Sourcing and Procurement
Before creating a plant list, seek out nurseries that undertake specialist growing and can source seed (or vegetative material) with known provenance to reduce the chances of substitutions on projects. On larger projects, you will most likely need nurseries that will contract-grow plants and are willing to source or collect seed for the plant species specification you require. Some conservation groups (Friends of) are also willing to undertake specialist growing; however, they are often seasonal and require advance orders. These are the preferred methods, as landscape contractors may not be willing to take on the responsibility of sourcing and verifying the supplied plant stock unless you provide the preferred supplier.

Partner with experts
While landscape architects often have a good grounding in plant selection, we often lack the time and skills to research and understand complex genomic information and databases. Partnering with ecologists, botanists, or science institutions is often the best approach to selecting species and provenances that meet site conditions, aesthetic outcomes, and biodiversity objectives. Partnering with these experts also provides information on rare and threatened species that you could help conserve by including them on your site.

Experiment with planting design
Gaps in our knowledge of plant genomics and traits should embolden us to experiment with planting design. While following best practices in sourcing seeds and plant materials helps reduce inbreeding and preserve genetic diversity, we should advocate for conducting live field trials, as experimental interactions are essential to develop dynamic plant communities. We can then observe and study these communities for future initiatives. Experimentation can be difficult when designing a residential garden or commercial landscape; therefore, we should partner with universities, botanic gardens, nurseries and other institutions to fund and develop research and testing.

Undertake Vital Steps

We need to improve planting design by moving away from predetermined species lists, species counts or percentages of vegetation classes. Creating biodiverse planting designs is more complex, and we need to embrace functional traits, genomic diversity, and living networks that sustain landscapes over time. Relying solely on known plant lists may produce a predictable aesthetic outcome, but it misses vital steps and can lead to a fragile landscape that is a single heatwave or pest outbreak away from failure.

Article by Damian Holmes, Editor of World Landscape Architecture

References

[1] Sandra Dı́az, Marcelo Cabido, Vive la différence: plant functional diversity matters to ecosystem processes, Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Volume 16, Issue 11, 2001, Pages 646-655, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02283-2.

[2] Campos-De Quiroz, Hugo. Plant genomics: an overview. Biol. Res. [online]. 2002, vol.35, n.3-4, pp.385-399.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0716-97602002000300013.

[3] K Theissinger, C Fernandes, G Formenti, et al. How genomics can help biodiversity conservation. Trends Genet. 2023 Jul;39(7):545-559. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.01.005. Epub 2023 Feb 16. PMID: 36801111

[4] L Simpson, DJ Cantrill, et al. (2025) The Genomics for Australian Plants (GAP) framework initiative – developing genomic resources for understanding the evolution and conservation of the Australian flora. Australian Systematic Botany 38, SB24022. https://doi.org/10.1071/SB24022

[5] TGB McLay, DJ Murphy, GD Holmes, S Mathews, GK Brown, et al. (2022) A genome resource for Acacia, Australia’s largest plant genus. PLOS ONE 17(10): e0274267. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274267

[6] D.C. Cantrill and T.G.B. McLay, From Mueller to the genomics era: plant conservation at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Muelleria 43, 2025, https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/science/journal/muelleria-43-genomics-special-issue/

[7] UNEP, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, December 2022, https://www.cbd.int/gbf

[8] P Vitt, J Finch, RS Barak, A Braum, S Frischie and I Redlinski (2022) Seed sourcing strategies for ecological restoration under climate change: A review of the current literature. Front. Conserv. Sci. 3:938110. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2022.938110

[9] R.W. Brooker, F.T. Maestre, et al (2008), Facilitation in plant communities: the past, the present, and the future. Journal of Ecology, 96: 18-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2007.01295.x

[10] Jing Tao, Charles A. Nock , Eric B. Searle, Shongming Huang, et. al. (2024) Partitioning changes in ecosystem productivity by effects of species interactions in biodiversity experiments eLife 13:RP98073 https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.98073.1

Bibliography

Sandra M. Durán et al. ,Informing trait-based ecology by assessing remotely sensed functional diversity across a broad tropical temperature gradient.Sci. Adv.5,eaaw8114(2019).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aaw8114

C.J. Hogg, Translating genomic advances into biodiversity conservation. Nat Rev Genet 25, 362–373 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-023-00671-0

R.A. Marks, S. Hotaling, P.B. Frandsen, et al. Representation and participation across 20 years of plant genome sequencing. Nat. Plants 7, 1571–1578 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-01031-8

Skye A. Miner and Timothy J. Thurman, “ Genomics and Biodiversity: Applications and Ethical Considerations for Climate-Just Conservation,” in “Envisioning a More Just Genomics,” Hastings Center Report 54, no. S2 (2024): S114–S119. DOI: 10.1002/hast.4936

SD Peddle, RJ Hodgson, et al. Practical applications of soil microbiota to improve ecosystem restoration: current knowledge and future directions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2025 Feb;100(1):1-18. https://doi/10.1111/brv.13124

Suzanne Prober, Margaret McLean, et al (2015). Climate-adjusted provenancing: a strategy for climate-resilient ecological restoration. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 3. https://doi/10.3389/fevo.2015.00065

S Khan, G Nabi, MW Ullah, M Yousaf, et al. Overview on the Role of Advance Genomics in Conservation Biology of Endangered Species. Int J Genomics. 2016; https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/3460416

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