The associate director of landscape architecture at Lanpro on how she got started in property, her number-one travel destination, her favourite book and song and the Victorian polymath she’d love to meet.
Anne Jennings, associate director of landscape architecture at Lanpro
How did you join the property industry?
It is a second career following an initial 15-year career in banking. You could say I took a circuitous route: I retrained first in horticulture, then in garden design and ultimately in landscape architecture, which led to my role as a chartered landscape architect.
What does your job entail?
Much of the focus for property development is in balancing the requirements of biodiversity net gain with all the other complexities of new developments, and I work closely with clients, ecologists and arboriculturists to deliver the best outcome across the board.
What do you like most about the industry?
I love the fact that many of the new housing development projects we work on incorporate lots of open green space, public realm and even country parks. This makes the work really worthwhile as we contribute to the environment and to the health of future residents.
And what do you dislike most about it?
A lack of local identity in mass developments that at times does little to respond to local vernacular and tradition. Things are improving, but this still seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Much, of course, comes down to the economics of manufacture and delivery, but sometimes small details can raise quality and enhance the sense of place for new developments.
What would you change about the industry?
I’d make it green infrastructure led. Landscape architecture has long been the last guest to the table, but it is time for a new approach. The holistic health and ecological benefits as well as the quantifiable value of green space within developments should be forcing the work of landscape architects to the fore. We can then provide valuable contributions to the earliest discussions around masterplans and the general layout of new projects.
What challenges have you overcome?
The dreaded misnomer ‘value engineering’ seems always to land at the feet of landscape architecture as a default in any cost-cutting, budget-realignment exercise. Requirements can range from reducing the size of specified trees to minimising the detail of planting areas. There is often an undervaluing of landscape in terms of long-term environmental and human health perspectives.
What are you most proud of in your career?
I have the opportunity to produce work that can provide positive landscape impacts for decades and even centuries to come, when specifying new planting – especially trees and hedgerows. In addition, the well-researched benefits of quality open space on human health in the widest sense provides a rewarding opportunity to contribute not only to the environment but also to the lives of those using the landscape.
My career has developed from private garden design to commercial and community projects, which provide greater opportunity for those wider impacts.
What do you value in people?
Enthusiasm and vision – people who push the boundaries and don’t just do things the way they have always been done. I also have huge respect for professionals from other specialisms who form part of our multidisciplinary services at Lanpro, as well as external clients and consultants. Working in a team of skilled professionals who communicate and embrace ideas and proposals is hugely valuable in delivering exceptional projects to budget and within agreed timeframes.
What advice would you give someone starting a career in the property industry?
Approach your role with curiosity, excitement and vision. Don’t be afraid to throw ideas into the ring – most of the time they won’t be taken forward but when it happens, you’ll be proud to have made a difference.
Top recommendationsFavourite destination?
The north coast of Cornwall. My family has visited this area for over two decades, initially with young children and now with adult offspring, the holidays changing along the way from beach days and body boarding to cocktails and fine food. Most of all remembered for great memories combined with stunning landscapes.
Favourite book?
Guernica by Dave Boling, a true saga. It tells the tale of families torn apart on the eve of the Second World War and the Luftwaffe bombing of the Basque town of Guernica. It is an intriguing insight into the history of the region and Picasso’s dramatic painting named after the town.
Favourite song?
Diamonds and Rust by Joan Baez. A hauntingly beautiful tale written by Baez, remembering the ghost of a long-lost love. The relationship is thought to have been between Baez and Bob Dylan.
Historical figure to meet?
Joseph Paxton, a remarkable Victorian entrepreneur and polymath. He was a gardener, landscape architect, engineer and rail entrepreneur. He succeeded in bringing to flower in the UK for the first time the majestic Amazonian giant water lily, which held pride of place in the Chatsworth Great Conservatory, designed by Paxton himself.
Comments are closed.