LANDSCAPES FOR OUR CHILDREN

Finally, the Government are acknowledging that school grounds are a highly important and integral part of learning and personal development.

SCHOOLS AND PLAY

Having provided landscapes for schools, we have proven how important they really are.  Far from the old hostile environments of low maintenance, spikey, dense, evergreen shrubbery, the introduction of colour and variation appears to have a significant impact.  Children are able to acknowledge their surroundings instead of ignoring them.  With careful layout and paving design and a keen eye on safety, we are able to produce highly functional, aesthetically pleasing designs.

Designing for schools is probably one of the best tests for good, sound design skills.  Children are the judges of a well designed space - they will decide whether to use or abuse it!

Obviously there will be a few who will never appreciate things, but these are the minority and we must design accordingly.  We should not be bringing spaces down the lowest common denominator.  Most people do like to be in inspirational spaces.

Children are increasingly spending much of their free time in fantasy worlds, overdosing on highly sophisticated, incredibly intense scenes in the world of computer graphics... and then we bring them to their school environment and expect them to be inspired.

We cannot (and do not want to) mimic their fantasy world, but we can improve the real one.

"We now have a very functional yet inspiring space and it is amazing to hear the children commenting on the plants as they walk by.  There is now a real sense of pride and ownership of their landscape and they are treating it accordingly.  The children are learning to better respect their environment and are learning the art of civic pride.."