Submission by BD Landscape Architects.
Being a good ancestor
Practice
1. Does the practice have a clearly stated purpose aligned with the planetary emergency? We are looking for a bold ambition here, and a practice culture which recognises the need for long-term thinking. For example, a strong mission, a theory of change, or a sustainability roadmap.
BD landscape architects are an award-winning practice, committed to the integration of sustainable design in this Climate Emergency + Biodiversity crisis, to create amazing & resilient places for people.
Our approach combines contemporary sustainable design with creative ecology looking to glean the unique genius loci from each place – our designs draw inspiration from the history, ecology, environment, use & character of the site.
As early-stage signatories to Landscape Architects Declare our studio strives to connect people, place and nature and to do this through beautiful + biodiverse landscape.
As a forward-thinking practice we know the twin challenges of our time and across the board look to create beautiful, resilient landscape and public realm. Meeting our hero Sir David Attenborough in 2019 he gave us a strong mission statement “You have a great responsibility to bring the realities of the Natural World to the understanding and love of human beings worldwide”.
2. Does the practice have a clear succession plan, which passes on ownership and protects the values and legacy of those who built and contributed to the practice? For example is the practice an employee owned trust.
Yes… but it’s a work in progress!
We are progressing on the first steps to Employee Ownership and thinking how best to grow the company in the most sustainable way.
With the challenges of running a profitable business in this economic climate we can see how tough it is with other practices making redundancies and closing up.
Being economically sustainable and resilient whilst offering the best working conditions, inspiring projects and a joyful studio is the toughest part of running a practice – but sharing the load through our brilliant group of senior associates who have been with the studio for over a decade certainly helps.
As we progress to an EOT and consider B Corp our real goal is stewarding our practice and our projects to have the most impact over time.
3. Does the practice share research and knowledge for the benefit of society and the wider world? For example, you regularly carry out post occupancy evaluation and share information with others.
We have recently undertaken a module for the Architecture Today ‘School of Specification’ on an introduction to the urban greening factor module. We are also publishing a journal in 2025 that includes a number of research related articles across the sectors of residential innovation, learning outside the classroom, destination landscape, landscape as a catalyst for change and making the meanwhile that we intend to share widely.
We formed part of a round table discussion at UKREiif alongside current and future president of the Landscape Institute on ‘Embracing the Power of Landscape as an Enabler for Positive Economic, Social, and Environmental Change’ showcasing our innovative public realm regeneration at Cardinal Place in London.
We also took part recently in landscape tutorials for Sustainable Architecture Masters students at the Centre for Alternative Technology. Delving deeper into how to expand their regenerative approaches to the landscape design.
Project
1. Does the practice advocate for long-term thinking at the outset of projects? Do you initiate projects with long-term thinking and challenge the client on design life? Also, can the practice demonstrate that this approach has worked with a shorter or longer design life, or an innovative approach to financing or payback period?
At BD we respond to the twin challenges of the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis with landscape designed to last. We ensure our projects are resilient and biodiverse so that they can adapt to the changes that climate change will bring.
We have always actively encouraged the use of a long-term maintenance/management plans and ensure that we steward the landscape long after the defects period ends.
At Lovedon Fields the site has been planned to enhance the sense of home and encourage residents to participate in gardening with the inclusion of productive growing thresholds to the front boundary of each property planted with edible varieties.
These growing gardens aimed to create local pockets of useful and delightful landscape and along with the community allotments and orchard promoted healthy living in a social context relating back to the productive land use of the site and providing opportunities to develop community spirit further.
2. Do your projects take account of the future climate and the need for resilience? For example, do the projects demonstrate flexibility, design for adaptation, design for disassembly, non-deterministic solutions, or demountable structures.
It’s what we do as landscape architects!
3. Do the majority of your projects go beyond mitigating negatives and towards optimising positives? For example, are they meeting or exceeding the RIBA 2030 Challenge.
Our projects push hard at the boundaries of urban greening and biodiversity net gain. We have developed some skill at locking in the benefits of systems like sustainable urban drainage, pollinator friendly planting and living roofs to mitigate the urban heat island effect, push for generous canopy cover and design elements into schemes so they avoid the inevitable value engineering cuts.
Co-evolving with nature
Practice
1. Does the practice use biophilia within the office or regularly host meetings and retreats in natural settings? For example do you have extensive planting within the office or rely on natural patterns and imagery for stress relief or quiet areas.
We have a super biodiverse and biophilic workplace with over 100 plants improving air quality, providing views of green space and calming the studio.
We have carefully fostered many of these plants for over a decade and we can see the benefit this biophilia has on a relaxed workplace where we retain staff for many years.
We regularly head en-masse to the regenerative farm in Gloucestershire for forest bathing and nature trails and plant identification sessions alongside restoring ancient orchards and planting giant redwood groves!
2. Can the practice share examples where it has considered nature in decision making? For example by having a nature proxy to encourage eco-centric decision making, using natural systems as inspiration for the company structure, recognising the seasonal nature of people’s capacity and workload or celebrating equinoxes and solstices together.
We are a practice of landscape architects inspired by nature. We understand the importance of aligning with natural systems and rhythms in our contemporary sustainable practice and in our company culture.
At a recent BD social we planted a grove of 20 sequoiadendron giganteum – giant redwood trees – to account for our staff present + legacy. On reaching maturity these trees will offset all of our lifetime carbon emissions whilst also creating a community grove on the Worcestershire Way trail as a resource for the wider public.
We think long and hard on each project for how we can improve the value and species diversity of our landscape design and aim to protect and conserve the environment inline with our chartered practice and adopted Landscape Institute code of conduct.
3. Is the practice supporting nature locally and nationally? For example, does the practice support local gardens, gardeners, planting programmes, rewilding programmes or advocate for changes in legislation to protect nature.
We are deeply rooted in our local landscape with a number of links where we volunteer to improve our landscapes. Senior staff members volunteer at community gardens and we regularly work with local schools to enhance their playgrounds pro bono.
We managed to procure a number of play and social seating elements for our local primary school [from the enlightened and super sustainable Vestre Street furniture] to enhance the opportunities for learning outside the classroom and to create playful places.
The BD team recently planted a grove of 20 sequoiadendron giganteum – giant redwood trees – to offset our lifetime carbon emissions and create an accessible community grove on the Worcestershire Way.
“A society grows great when we plant trees in whose shade we shall never sit.” – Greek Proverb.
Project
1. Can the practice demonstrate projects which strive to match the performance of a mature ecosystem? As a minimum this would mean achieving biodiversity net gain.
We have worked hard to push for Biodiversity Net Gain on projects before it became a mandatory requirement. We also test for high urban greening factor scores on schemes across the country – not just in London boroughs or those where needed.
We have worked on a number of projects where we have pushed hard to double the required Biodiversity Net Gain on recent residential developments.
2. Is the practice working on material stewardship? For example, evidence could be shown through repeated use of low carbon materials, extensive material libraries and research or publications supporting responsible use of materials and elimination of waste.
We encourage reduction in use of concrete; specifying suppliers with known commitment to carbon reduction and ethical sourcing. Within the office we avoid single use plastics, we try to work as a paper free studio reducing printing; and recycling fully.
We have a series of standard clauses that ensures responsible sourcing of materials and push for local sourcing wherever possible. On the award winning Glassfields meanwhile landscape we set a requirement that all supplies and materials needed to be sourced within a 50 mile radius of the project site.
3. Do the majority of projects demonstrate the use of biologically-inspired approaches such as Bioregionalism, Biophilia, Biomimicry, Ecomimicry (also referred to as Ecosystems Thinking, Industrial Ecology or Industrial Symbiosis) or BioTRIZ?
Biophilia – all of our projects seek to connect people with nature. Our award-winning project at Kingswood Fields for Fidelity international significantly enhances the workplace setting with a biodiversity rich landscape that encourages contact with nature and social seating spaces.
On all our projects we work with like-minded landscape led consultants including ecologists, hydrologists, arborists and look to include habitats for nature and nesting / roosting boxes for birds and bats.
On our Lovedon Fields project we designed for both bioregionalism and biophilia with a series of innovative swift boxes, bee bricks, bug hotels, and even a flyover gateway portal for Dormice that we integrated into the green corridors. Local brush seed harvesting was undertaken from neighbouring fields for reuse within the ecological grassland for local provenance. On all projects we aim to reuse felled timber for natural play formed part of the landscape legacy.
Creating a just space for people
Practice
1. Does the practice have a progressive EDI policy and can you evidence many forms of diversity, which are welcomed and acknowledged, within the practice?
We have a progressive EDI policy in our company handbook which is issued to all team members prior to them starting at our practice so that they understand our commitment and requirements.
As well as this we have a number of other policies including Menopause Policy which demonstrates our commitment to making our workplace as inclusive as possible.
BD is 78% female in terms of team members and 75% in terms of senior leadership roles.
We are actively involved in a number of initiatives to improve diversity in the landscape architecture profession including working on a number of youth streeting groups, holding a webinar with 2-3 degrees on youth engagement and being a trustee for the Cheltenham Design Academy that aims to inspire the next generation of landscape architects.
2. Does the practice operate a no overtime culture, meet the living wage consistently, and stipulate a fair salary ratio between staff of all levels?
We strive to be a just and equitable employer and have a no-overtime culture – on the rare occasions when overtime is needed we ensure this is paid by as time off in lieu.
Alongside this time off in lieu policy we have flexible working practices and close the office early every Friday afternoon.
3. Does the practice support charities, community groups, social enterprises, action groups and others through pro-bono work, charitable giving or in-kind donations?
We contribute pro bono work throughout the practice with a number of live schemes where we work without payment.
This includes the ongoing Hammersmith + Fulham Women’s Refuge and has in the past included the Milkshake Tree project for the London Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy with pH+ architects where we co-funded an innovative installation and sensory garden which acted as a platform to share, engage and educate the community on inclusive environments that help to stimulate and support growth.
Each member of staff is given one volunteer day every year to support a local community.
We recently co-funded a number of play and social seating elements for our local primary school [from the enlightened and super sustainable Vestre Street furniture] to enhance the opportunities for learning outside the classroom and to create playful places as a legacy for the school.
4. Does the practice publicly refuse to work with certain clients, suppliers or organisations on ethical grounds?
Yes.
Project
1. Do the projects demonstrate deep engagement with local stakeholders and end users? For example, is there evidence that your project engagement goes beyond consultation towards co-design?\
Yes.
2. Do your projects create connected and resilient places which positively contribute to their neighbourhoods and allow equality of access? For example, do your projects create economic opportunity, retain value locally and generate social value?
Yes.
3. Do the majority of your projects promote equity in society, and consider all people, not only the building inhabitants? For example, do your projects show due regard for workers within the supply chain and take active steps to avoid modern slavery?
Yes.