There’s something powerful about returning to a landscape project years after completion. Has it thrived? Has it been maintained properly? Has it attracted wildlife?
The Chartered Institute of Building’s (CIOB) recently released film, “Blueprints for Biodiversity“, captures this journey for the Met Office Data Centre, where Dan Hutchinson (Senior Landscape Architect) and Isabelle Carter (Head of Landscape Architecture) revisit the site after eight years to see what happens when thoughtful landscape design is given time to flourish.
A long-term investment with visible results
Unlike buildings, which are essentially complete upon handover, landscapes continue to develop, mature and—when properly cared for—improve with age. The film brilliantly captures this long-term evolution.
This project started my relationship in developing aesthetically interesting native mixes. There’s a lovely tension between the sleek modern lines of the building and the soft lines of the landscape. It’s amazing to see the trees and plants thriving, and how well the Met Office has maintained this landscape.
Dan Hutchinson, Senior Landscape Architect
Beauty and biodiversity
Designed in 2017, before Biodiversity Net Gain became standard practice, the Met Office Data Centre already aimed to enhance the site’s biodiversity by at least 10%. The approach was to balance ecological function with all year round visual interest to create a space that delivers harmony for both people and wildlife.
With support from the Met Office’s Biodiversity Working Group and Devon Wildlife Trust, the team created a landscape that nurtures pollinators, provides food for birds and bats, and contributes meaningfully to local wildlife networks, emphasising the rich biodiversity now inhabiting a space that surrounds a busy data centre.
Standing among the oak trees and listening to the gentle birdsong, the success is clear. “It gives you a sense of peace and tranquillity within nature, despite being close to the M5” explains Ralf James, FM & Technical Services Manager at the Met Office.
Setting the direction for future projects
The lessons from projects like the Met Office have informed our subsequent work, particularly in embracing the Building with Nature framework.
As Building with Nature Approved Assessors, our landscape architecture team now guides clients through the process of creating genuinely nature-positive developments. This approach brings the whole project team together from day one, enabling early collaboration between landscape architects, masterplanners, ecologists, civil engineers, and architects.
Projects like New Fosseway in Bristol demonstrate this in action, having achieved a Building with Nature Design Award by meeting all 12 standards for Wellbeing, Water and Wildlife and demonstrating a 12.3% Biodiversity Net Gain within the site boundary. We’re also adopting a nature positive approach across our four projects for Natural England all of which are situated in or near nature reserves and require sensitive planting which is both native and colourful.
Watch “Blueprints for Biodiversity“, then download our free Biodiversity Design Guide to start your own journey towards creating thriving, ecologically-rich landscapes.
The film was created by CIOB and Content With Purpose for The Nature of Building: Biodiversity & the Built Environment series which aims to celebrate some of the positive work happening within the construction industry to address the biodiversity crisis.
