Working with clients to tackle climate change

With climate scientists predicting that sea levels in the UK could rise by over a metre by the end of the century, it is essential that we get ready now for the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
At Land Studio, we recognised that by bringing landscape architects and engineers together under one roof we could provide a more holistic design approach on projects – and influence what happens in the future.
Linking the “Blue” to the “Green” is not a new concept as early towns and cities were located close to a water source for transportation and trade purposes. Today, this linking of the blue/green infrastructure has evolved to offer wider opportunities as outdoor spaces where people can live, work or play that give activity, health and biodiversity benefits alongside functional water storage, treatment and the control of flood water downstream.
What has been really exciting for us is seeing the positive response to the collaboration from industry and from our clients. In some cases, it has required a change in mindset in how project consultants are procured and how important early engagement on projects is.
The challenge to ‘do things differently’ in our eyes was not an idealistic aspiration: doing nothing or carrying on as we have always done was not an option.
The type of projects Land Studio works on, however big or small, can all contribute to overall environmental change.
As we often say, you don’t always need lots of space to incorporate water management into a scheme. With early engagement, good site planning of external spaces - whether that is at ground, podium or roof level - small interventions can be found on every project, no matter the size, type of project or client type.