Fri 1 Aug 2008
Going down the garden path
Developers are finally realising that the garden is actually another room in the house - one that can really help to sell homes. Roger Hunt reports."Landscape design not only increases the desirability of a housing scheme but also helps to define public and private space, to maximise amenity space, to passively improve security and actively enhance local bio-diversity," says James Lord of HTA Landscape Design.
"Previously landscape design was seen by most housebuilders more as an expensive afterthought, but it's really encouraging that many of them now realise its real value and potential.
"For the immediate future, I believe sustainability is going to be the key, so features such as sustainable urban drainage systems, green roofs, 'living skin', rainwater harvesting for irrigation and indigenous and locally-sourced products will be a natural part of landscape design for housebuilding."
HTA Landscape Design claims to be one of the largest in-house landscape design teams in the UK and works collaboratively with HTA's architects and urban designers as well as independently for developers, housebuilders, local authorities and regeneration agencies. Its hard and soft landscape solutions are fully integrated with urban design and building design from the start of the process.
Professor Robert Tregay, senior partner at LDA Design, warns that housebuilders should be very aware of the landscape and context of a site before commencing a planning application.
"Working with a landscape architect to produce a strong and considered masterplan with green space infrastructure will add character, value and a better quality of life for the future residents. Attractive surroundings, footpaths and cycle routes, play areas and squares, linking the houses to the main transport routes, parks and amenities, allow people to enjoy getting from one place to another while offering somewhere to play, walk the dog or sit in a sunny spot.
"Providing green space also allows for the creation of a mixed development which can include apartments without private gardens. This means that densities can be higher so a development can offer homes for every budget and need, while also hitting required targets for affordable housing provision."
Founded as a landscape architectural practice in 1979, LDA Design, now encompasses architecture, ecology, masterplanning and urban design while the company's approach allows its landscape commissions to become fully integrated within their context.
Nicholas Pearson Associates is another multi-disciplinary firm. As a registered practice with the Landscape Institute, it provides full landscape architectural consultancy services in environmental planning, landscape design and ecology and associated services of landscape restoration, heritage landscapes and graphic or digital design. Its skills are applicable to all scales from identification of suitable development land at a regional level, to masterplanning and detailed landscape design, including work on the smallest of scales for planting design and show gardens. Jamie Farnell, Nicholas Pearson Associates' senior landscape architect, believes landscape and open space is integral to good masterplanning. "The pressure to achieve higher density living often restricts the size of private gardens and increasingly makes the provision of good quality, accessible and adoptable public open space contribute to the success of a development and the wellbeing of the community."
Croudace Homes' marketing manager, Jannie Phipps, believes that a property's living space extends beyond its 'four walls' as outside living is an important part of homeowners' lifestyles and is required for entertaining, cooking, eating and providing safe play areas for children.
"Gardens, like interiors, have to move with the times, and at Croudace we like to ensure that with our communal landscapes and latest show home schemes present innovative and contemporary garden design. We employ the expertise of professional landscape designers to ensure that our gardens are a real selling point for our homes, but about twenty per cent of our customers wish to take it a step further and personalise their outside space through one of our recommended landscape architects."
Jon Cowley, tclandscapes bespoke services director, emphasise that projects must be looked at holistically. "What is sometimes overlooked is the fact that the garden of a show home has to meet the same brief as the interior - after all we need to reflect the same lifestyle."
"We are finding as the market hardens that progressive developers are seeking to incorporate more inspirational planting schemes or features in the designs. Offering gardens which appeal to buyers' hearts and minds can make all the difference."
Midlands-based, tclandscapes specialises in landscape consultancy and design, construction, sales packages, maintenance and green roof systems. With over 100 directly employed landscape professionals, it operates across the UK and works closely with architects and designers to make life as easy as possible for the developer. The company's Covey Select packages - a choice of pre-designed fixed priced gardens - have been successfully used by developers as plot incentives.
Recognising that to sell gardens with new homes housebuilders generally need a fixed price and a pre-defined product, Modular Garden has developed an innovative approach to the purchase, design and installation of gardens.
Working with housebuilders nationally it delivers designer gardens with new homes. As gardens will not generally work in a simplistic predefined or overly componentised format, Modular Garden has developed a range of design layouts (chassis) that are easily customisable and resizable to suit the range of sizes, orientations and tastes that have to be catered for. Customer chooses from a broad range of a well designed garden layouts specifically created for each development which they can then customise. "We have seen repeatedly that the offer of a branded high quality well designed garden with a new build house offers key advantages to housebuilders," says Nick McMahon, Modular Garden's managing director.
"The inclusion of a designer garden can help speed up sales and can be used as an anti-discount measure. A designer garden can also generate a higher customer service score for the housebuilder and an increased perceived value for the homebuyer."
Many housebuilders are familiar with the way large semi-mature trees can be used to add instant impact to the landscape. Practicality Brown's Elveden Instant Hedge is designed to serve the same purpose. It is grow in continuous lengths of 100 metres, cut into 2.5 metre strips for transport, and can be installed at a rate of up to 50 metres per day - individual plants cannot offer the same density, ease and speed of planting. The company has over 30,000 metres of hedge in production and it is normally up to two metres high and from 30 to 50cm thick.
At Octagon, David Smith, group marketing manager, explains that the company has changed its planting mix to keep up with its purchasers' latest requirements. "Namely plants, trees, and shrubs that will fare well in a dryer climate which is where we seem to be, planet wise, currently heading. Added to which this demand combines nicely with the trend to create more exotic gardens probably influenced by their travelling to the Far East, States and Mediterranean countries on a regular basis. So our plant selection often now includes members of the palm family, Cyprus pines imported from Florence, and other warm weather favourites."
When it comes to making a statement, Room in the Garden has launched a new version of its rusted iron dining pavilion. The Grand Dining Pavilion is hand-crafted from rusted iron and a full waterproof and windproof detachable canvas liner is available in a wide selection of colours. Room in the Garden also offers a range of elegant plant supports, arches, gazebos and garden furniture.
Another garden focal point comes in the form of Haddonstone's new cast stone Roman sundial. It features a stainless steel gnomon to project a shadow across the numerals cast into the sundial top.
Cityroofs' Pardak 60 modular paving system is adjustable for height and level and is designed for trouble-free rainwater dispersal without the need for falls, with a free flow of drainage beneath. The high density concrete provides a safe and durable surface for pedestrians and vehicles alike and individual slabs can be lifted for ease of access to services beneath.
Responding to the increasing popularity of artificial grass, GrasseDeck from Finnforest uses a durable polypropylene to replicate lush green grass within the surface of the deck board. The boards are laid in the normal way, with a softwood substructure, and are suited to residential outdoor spaces such as gardens, rooftop patios, townhouse balconies and courtyards.
Fusion Commercial outdoor balustrade from Richard Burbidge is based on a fusion of timber rails and metal newels. The range is available with a choice of three infill options: hardwood timber balusters, hardwood slatted panels or ultra-contemporary glass panels. It is suitable for use on domestic balconies in houses and high-level apartments as well as on raised domestic decks.
Posted by Roger Hunt
in Croudace Homes, David Smith, HTA, James Lord, Jamie Farnell, Jannie Phipps, Jon Cowley, Nicholas Pearson Associates, Nick McMahon, Octagon, Product Portfolio, Richard Burbidge, Robert Tregay, tclandscapes on Fri 1 Aug 2008
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