sustainable landscape & water garden design

Sustainable, whole system design of private gardens, landscapes, water gardens and urban space is the forte of Mark Laurence, an award-winning international designer based in West Sussex, UK. Mark specialises in sustainability, water gardens (including biofiltration of ponds and greywater), edible landscapes and the development and use of design psychology; all done with a holistic, whole-system approach to both the place and the user.

So much is needed from our gardens and public spaces - far more than we often realise. Not only do we require all the best elements that such places traditionally give us - peace, relaxation, beauty, statement - but we also have to ensure we develop them in a way which aids us in a future where there is less affordable energy and food security is a major concern..

As society has to tackle looming issues of global warming, material shortage and energy decline, we have to seriously re-evaluate the ways in which we live and create our environments. Landscape is the arena in which we play out our lives, so it is imperative that designers widen their thinking and experience to embrace this fully.

There are new frontiers, new requirements, new (and traditional) solutions to be found. Low energy, carbon neutral materials, recycled and reclaimed options, forest gardens and landscapes that are edible, water features that filter and reuse gray water, micro-generation of energy and materials; these are all issues that will come to the fore in the very near future. You can have a beautiful landscape AND be safe for whatever the future brings.