Since joining Macgregor Smith in 2016, Rosie has progressed to become a senior member of the team. She was supported through the Pathway to Chartership in 2019 and has since grown in confidence taking an increasingly leading role in several projects across the office.
Why did you decide to become a Landscape Architect?
I decided to go to Edinburgh University to study Landscape Architecture after meeting a very enthusiastic Landscape Architect on holiday in Costa Rica. At that point I was undecided whether to go into a more academic subject of English Literature, History or even Maths, and in complete contrast I was passionate about the more creative subjects of textiles and mixed media art.
I found that during my studies and in my career so far, Landscape Architecture has allowed me to a apply all of these subject areas and more. One day I will be a historian researching the heritage of a post-industrial site or reading an archaeological report of a napoleonic graveyard, and the next I will be a scientist reviewing an ecology report and looking at how we can enhance the species diversity of a site through habitat creation. Then I’ll move onto being an artist, looking at how we can incorporate creative play opportunities in an urban square and generating 3D illustrations of the proposals, then moving into the realms of engineering, reviewing the specification of final materials and creating technical drawings for a bespoke bench for construction.
The varied, interesting, and often surprising day to day activities of a landscape architect is why I love my job! In addition, I’m witnessing the increasing importance of our role in meeting the current and future challenges of society and the climate, making me feel like what I do matters.
Why did you decide to move to Bath and join the team at Macgregor Smith?
Following working in London for nearly two years and a placement year in Edinburgh I was looking for a change and fell in love with Bath and Bristol. Since moving to Bath and joining Macgregor Smith I have bought a house with a dreamy walk to work through Victoria Park, past the Botanic Gardens and the famous Royal Crescent.
From day one, Macgregor Smith has been one of friendliest and supportive practices I continue to enjoy working for. I have been lucky to work on some brilliant projects and be surrounded by genuinely lovely, creative people who have helped me progress quickly, allowing me to take more and more responsibility. I have enjoyed being able to work on all design stages and it is really satisfying to work for a practice who are able to take many of their projects from concept right through to construction.
What projects have you enjoyed working on the most?
There have been too many varied and interesting projects to list them all. One of my current favorites has been Civic Square, in Plymouth. This is one the first projects I have taken a more leading role on from the start, and it has been a joy researching the mid-century Grade II listed park and garden which forms part of the scheme, which was originally designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe.
What trends do you see influencing the future of Landscape Architecture?
As I mentioned earlier, I see Landscape Architects playing an increasingly central role in development as we see pressure mount on our public spaces and landscapes to meet the current and future challenges that we all face.
Recently, I have taken a specific interest in child friendly cities. I was supported by the office to attend the weeklong ‘Towards the Child Friendly City – international conference’ in Bristol prior to the pandemic, which provided many perspectives on how we create child friendly cities and places. I enjoyed talking directly to Tim Gill, the author of ‘Urban Playground – How Child friendly planning and design can save cities’.
The diagram which illustrates how children’s rights to roam have reduced over the generations is a powerful image of how a child’s ability to access and enjoy their surrounding neighbourhoods is becoming increasingly limited. In addition, it was inspiring to hear from the parents who started the ‘play streets’ movement which originated in Bristol 2009. Simply shutting off the road to cars, allowing children and neighbours to play and congregate in their street had remarkable results and has since led to a national movement and dedicated policies in Local Authorities. I have since looked to become a champion of embedding child friendly principles in our project work. Another great experience was being sent to Bavaria to see how Richter play develop and construct their play equipment, in workshops that resemble Santa’s workshops with many of the crafts people in lederhosen!
