Reflections on our world during Covid-19
The Coronavirus pandemic has not only changed the world for ever, it will have a lasting impact on the future of landscape architecture.
Since we established our practice four years ago we have seen big changes in how people want to design, create and manage the landscapes they live and work in. Covid-19 has accelerated this growing demand for inspirational landscapes and the outdoors.
Covid-19 has had a significant impact on leisure sector over the past few months but before the pandemic, perhaps as a result of Brexit, it was a sector that was evolving.
The British staycation boom was taking off and it is not surprising that over half of tourism businesses were reporting an increase in people wanting to holiday in the UK.
Fast forward to today and now that many people are reluctant to fly or travel overseas we expect there will be an even bigger boom in people wanting to holiday at home.
What is interesting is the experience that people want to get from their holiday. Gone are the days of people settling for poor quality food and accommodation.
They want spacious holiday parks with fire pits, glamping sites with private hot-tubs and great places to eat out with stunning views.
We love a challenge. As a specialist landscape architecture practice, we work with our clients to help them realise the full potential of their land and its surroundings – whether they are a holiday park, a glamping site or a rural estate.
We recently worked with the world-famous Halen Mon on Anglesey, whose sea salt is enjoyed around the world and is a favourite of leading chefs.
They wanted an outdoor eating venue – called Tide - to tempt their visitors with a delicious menu of coffee and artisan dishes all made by their chef Sam Lomas, who joined them from the famous River Cottage in Devon and the tutelage of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
We worked with them to transform a piece of land outside their production facility into a beautiful designed seating area to accommodate their food truck and make the most of the stunning views across the Menai Straits.
As part of the design, we created a canopied timber decked space, surrounded by earth mounds planted with native wildflowers, timber seating and paths using coastal gravel.
And people love it. The layout, the natural planting and of course the view have all been praised on Tripadvisor and featured on Instagram.
Covid or no Covid there will be an increased demand for beautiful immersive experiences like the one at Tide. As landscape architects, we have a responsibility to make sure that our designs are sensitively integrated into the landscape whilst still creating transformative, 21st Century experiences for people to enjoy.
Find out more about Halen Mon and the Tide café here:
https://www.halenmon.com/tide-llanw/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRFUTJjtPrU&feature=youtu.be
Do get in touch if you have a project you would like to discuss with us.