Landscape Architecture, Green Infrastructure

The landscape architecture specialists at SYSTRA deliver innovative and sustainable landscape and environmental solutions for a diverse range of transport, infrastructure and urban developments.

Developing projects in harmony with their location

Any new development or infrastructure project must carefully consider its impact on the environment, surrounding landscapes, habitats and the people who live and work in the area – whether urban or rural.

Developers must assess a huge range of factors to ensure that new construction or infrastructure projects integrate sensitively with their surroundings and comply with all regulations, while minimising environmental impacts, ecological harm and disruption to people and places. With the right design expertise and planning advice, it’s possible to achieve truly sustainable developments that enhance their surroundings, optimise resource management, increase climate change resilience and create desirable places where people want to live, work and visit.

The integrated team of landscape architects and associated specialists at SYSTRA offers a range of services to help plan, design, support and deliver viable and sustainable transport, infrastructure and urban development schemes on any scale.

our experience

Discover how SYSTRA has applied innovation, technology and ingenuity to re-think infrastructure engineering solutions to optimise time, budget, safety and sustainability.

VIEW CASE STUDIES

SYSTRA landscape architects help clients to achieve harmonious landscape designs that minimise harmful impacts and maximise sustainable benefits for people, places and the environment.

Multi-skilled landscape design specialists

Our landscape architecture teams work alongside engineers and multi-disciplinary specialists to provide landscape and visual assessments, co-ordination and landscape design services for a wide variety of major infrastructure and transport projects, public realm and shared space design schemes.

Whatever the project challenge, we take a sustainable and holistic approach, combining our complementary consultancy and design services to help clients create inspirational places that enhance mobility, well-being and the environment. Our landscape architects can contribute to all stages of the project life-cycle, ensuring that all landscape and environmental aspects are considered and incorporated into an iterative design process.

landscape architecture services

Initial site survey and assessment
Using a combination of desktop studies and on-site analysis, we deliver detailed initial site surveys and assessments. The skills of our team encompass landscape architecture, ecology, environmental consultancy, drone surveying and arboriculture – enabling us to provide fully integrated and holistic site surveys and assessments. It means that, for example, we can integrate Phase 1 habitat surveys with initial landscape site surveys for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (LVIA).
Environmental and habitat design
We provide complete environmental and habitat designs that combine environmental mitigation and enhancement solutions for terrestrial and aquatic habitats, public open spaces, wetlands, rivers, water courses and ponds, and other landscape mitigation, enhancement and restoration works.
Graphic design and visualisation
Our in-house capabilities enable us to produce 2D drawings and 3D models (including BIM models using Revit and Bentley Software). We can also produce hand-drawn illustrations, sketches and photomontages to bring landscape designs to life and support planning processes. SYSTRA has full BIM capability and sits at a BIM Level 2 status.
Landscape design for all stages of the design process
SYSTRA can provide the full range of landscape design services as defined in the Landscape Consultants Appointment (June 2018 edition produced by the Landscape Institute): S1: Landscape Design and Administration/Post-contract Services: Strategic Definition, Preparation and Brief, Concept Design, Developed Design, Technical Design, Construction, Handover and Close and In Use analysis.

What’s more, we can provide site supervision services during the implementation and construction of landscape elements within projects. This includes fulfilling the roles of Environmental Clerk of Works, Landscape Clerk of Works and undertaking maintenance inspections. If required, we can produce landscape maintenance and management plans for any project. Our approach is flexible and can be adapted to any form of contract, including NCE and RIBA.
Landscape planning services
Our team provides a range of landscape planning services, including Design and Access Statements, Green Infrastructure Strategies, Sensitivity and Capacity Studies, Pre-planning landscape, visual feasibility studies, and LVIA Audits. The team can also undertake the role of EIA Co-ordination to produce Environmental Appraisals and Statements.

We provide comprehensive services to support negotiations with planning authorities or statutory environmental bodies, and provide landscape advice to discharge planning conditions for developments.
Public consultation and stakeholder engagement
We have the experience and skills to prepare, facilitate and undertake public consultation and stakeholder engagement on any project. Our services include producing all supporting information, such as drawings, visualisations, sketches and other explanatory material. We can tailor our services to work with a wide range of public and stakeholder groups, including individuals, community groups, schools, local authorities, statutory organisations (e.g. the Environment Agency or Highways England), charities and trusts.
Expert witness at public enquiry and development consent orders
Our team includes Chartered Members of the Landscape Institute who have substantive experience of undertaking and reviewing Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (LVIA) as part of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). We also prepare Landscape and Visual Appraisals to support planning applications for a wide range of project types.
Master planning
Our landscape architects can create development masterplans and landscape masterplans for rail, highways, residential, commercial and industrial developments. By incorporating master planning into an overarching transport strategy, we ensure that new developments are sustainably integrated into their surroundings – improving the chances of gaining planning approval. We work from initial site selection and representation stages through to the submission of detailed planning applications.
Urban design
SYSTRA believes that urban design (including public realm) is key to developing places that support economic growth and regeneration. We have vast experience of using an urban design-led approach to develop strategies that are ambitious yet deliverable and evidence based. Our approach to urban design often integrates public consultation and stakeholder engagement, public realm strategies, public transport routing and traffic management advice.