WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TRAIN
AS AN ARCHITECT?
Like many at the start of their architectural
education part of me, somewhat
egotistically, wanted to create beautiful
statement buildings that received a lot of
attention and make my mark on the world.
During my university education my views
became more sensitive and I wished to
create places that people love to be in,
progressing in recent years as my love of
nature has intertwined into our work.WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR
JOB MOST?
I like the variety of people I meet in my job;
nature is a connecting force that many
people appreciate, particularly in an
increasingly environmentally aware
world. There is so much opportunity to
re-introduce nature back into our everyday
lives, each project we complete explores
different elements. Working with plants, the
design is not complete at handover – it
develops and changes, often in unexpected
ways; this is a great pleasure to watch.DO YOU FEEL THAT LANDSCAPING
SHOULD AND CAN BE REGARDED
AS ARCHITECTURE?
Any space made for people to use is both
landscape and architecture; I believe they
are words used to describe our interaction,and impact, on the environment. The
sensibilities that inform architecture were
founded as we evolved in our natural
landscapes. If the arrangement of spaces
that invoke feelings within us is to be
called architecture, then I believe that
landscaping should be regarded as
architecture. The development of landscape
spaces, however, require specialist skills, it
should not be taken that architects can
design landscaping.HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE
YOUR APPROACH TO PERSUADING
CLIENTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE?
As we have established ourselves on our
sustainable and ecological designs, many of
our clients come to us to already persuaded.
We always stress that landscape should be
functional as well as aesthetic, and highlight
benefits for instance improvements in
biodiversity, mental and physical well-being,
and mitigating the effects of climate change,
which for clients means increased
productivity, lower bills and a delightful
place to relax, work, or play.WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SECTOR
TO WORK IN?
I love the challenge of adding nature in all
sectors, but the biggest impact can be made
in the public sector, where schemes areASK THE
ARCHITECT
Ed Higgins from Hosta
Consulting answers ADF’s
questions on landscape
design and green
infrastructure
© Ed Higgins23ADF JUNE 2019 WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK