Panorama structure is an usually ignored space of design, Martin Knight and Claire Stokoe argue; and whereas a concentrate on local weather and biodiversity emergencies has emerged strongly lately, placing the outside an increasing number of into the highlight, the pair behind Studio Knight Stokoe really feel there’s extra to be stated a couple of explicit side of the occupation.
‘An space that’s being checked out much less, that has large potential, is taking as sturdy a concentrate on a retain, reuse and recycle agenda for present landscapes, and questioning whether or not wholesale substitute of areas, constructed parts, and planting, is the proper method, simply to ship a specific imaginative and prescient for a spot. Can these parts not be woven into the material of the panorama answer for a spot? Are they not a part of the established character and materials reminiscence of place?’ they ask.
(Picture credit score: Andy Stagg)
Meet Studio Knight Stokoe
Knight and Stokoe co-founded their namesake, small however dynamic panorama structure and concrete design follow within the south-west of England in 2022. Aiming to stay boutique and nimble, the studio follows the identical method in its tasks too, valuing high quality and craft over quantity – with simply the 2 administrators as everlasting members of employees and a household of expert collaborators on their books, bringing specialised experience the place wanted.
This additionally permits them to have hands-on involvement in every mission: ‘While you work with us, you may at all times be working straight with both Martin or Claire, which is one thing we have discovered shoppers and collaborators are responding actually positively to,’ they are saying. The studio’s B Corp certification is additional proof of their dedication to accountability and sustainable follow. They flag: ‘At our core, we’re guided by three interconnected rules: resilience, regeneration, and empathy. We craft landscapes that harmonise society and nature, creating locations that may adapt to challenges whereas actively enhancing the environments they inhabit.’
(Picture credit score: Burrell Foley Fischer)
Their first accomplished mission, Plant, a revived brutalist backyard at Mountbatten Home in Basingstoke, not solely completely embodies these values, but it surely was additionally a landmark mission for the younger agency. The duty outlined the reimagining of the Grade II-listed Registered Park and Backyard’s ‘hanging gardens’ for as we speak’s wants. It required delicate tackling of the prevailing atmosphere, respecting designer James Russell’s unique Nineteen Seventies imaginative and prescient for the grounds.
In consequence, the scheme achieved huge acclaim in addition to a BREEAM Excellent certification, showcasing seamlessly Knight and Stokoe’s ‘craft-to-high-tech’ method that favours a steadiness between artistry and performance. ‘With out query, being appointed for the technical building design and supply of Plant was transformative. It represented an enormous vote of confidence from the developer and contractor in our capabilities as designers and as a enterprise,’ they are saying.
(Picture credit score: Kinrise)
Since its completion, the studio has been going from power to power. It has an ongoing stewardship position at Plant, the place the administrators information the institution of its gardens over time (‘It is vitally uncommon to safe such a job,’ they spotlight); it’s at present concerned within the retrofit and reuse of a Grade II-listed constructing on the harbourside at Canons Wharf in Bristol, creating new outside amenity areas; and additionally it is engaged on a brand new micro-urban forest faculty within the coronary heart of Westminster, London. These and different tasks throughout the UK, from personal gardens to business and public areas, make for an thrilling future for the younger follow.
Supply: Wallpaper
