18
INSIGHTS
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BECOME AN ARCHITECT? My fi rst degree was in landscape architecture and after graduation I worked as a landscape architect at OLIN in Philadelphia. This was an inspirational practice led by dual-qualifi ed staff who were both landscape architects and architects.
ASK THE ARCHITECT
Christopher Gray, director at SLR Consulting, tells ADF how he has nutured the importance of landscape-led masterplanning in his carreer, and why resilient green infrastructure including sensitive SuDS has to sit at the heart of future development.
Seeing how their unique backgrounds positively shaped the designs inspired me to return to university to study architecture. Being dual-qualifi ed gives me a unique skillset that allows me to approach projects with a greater emphasis on sustainable design.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT IT NOW? No two days are the same, and I get to work across the country, learning about the best ways to approach design and development that consider where the project is based. Through exploring sites, I am better able to understand potential developments and see how they work, which helps me to design unique places for people to live, work, play and study. I enjoy the collaborative aspect of the job which means listening and working with not just colleagues and clients but the communities who are being affected by changes, understanding their concerns and explaining what we are doing to address them. It is incredibly rewarding to walk through new places that I have helped design, where people enjoy
living and have clearly taken ownership of their surroundings.
WHAT IS CURRENTLY YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN TRYING TO INTRODUCE GOOD QUALITY LANDSCAPE INTO URBAN MASTERPLANS? As a practice, we have taken a landscape- led approach for years, however it was the lockdowns of the pandemic that made people appreciate how important immediately accessible landscape and natural green space can be for their personal wellbeing. This elevated general perception and the increasing value the public places on landscape have meant it has become easier to make the case for good quality landscape in masterplans. We have clients who have calculated the
benefi t and see the evidence in the form of higher sales value across sites where high-quality landscape is in place early and consistently. However, this is not the case across the industry. Challenges come from increasing demand for space to accommodate sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) requirements and biodiversity enhancements, which means that it is critical that these landscape spaces are multi-functional and recognised as critical elements of resilient green and blue infrastructure.
DO YOU MANAGE TO INCLUDE ATTRACTIVE SUDS IN URBAN SCHEMES, DESPITE THE FRAGMENTED PICTURE ON RISK? Rather than a lack of regulation, it is the patchwork of requirements and policies from adopting authorities, environmental agencies and client bodies – particularly in relation to their corporate approach to risk – that I feel must be addressed on a site-by-site basis.
Kingsgrove, a 227-acre development in Wantage
The most enlightened agencies recognise SuDS have an interpretive role to play in educating the public on natural processes. We design SuDS that are attractive, biodiverse habitats with seasonal interest and which closely mimic natural drainage systems. Conversely, as a practice we are sometimes forced down the route of ‘bomb crater’ fenced off basins in projects; benefi tting no one, and which – quite rightly – the public hate. National policy to encourage the former and prevent the latter could be transformational for how we approach schemes.
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK ADF JUNE 2026
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