LDA Design

An employee-owned UK landscape architecture, urban design and planning consultancy with nine UK studios and about 200 people.

About LDA Design

LDA Design is a consultancy that combines landscape architecture, strategy, planning, urban design, masterplanning and environmental consulting, which it groups as planning, design and environment. Landscape architects design the spaces between buildings, such as parks, streets and squares, and think about how land can work for people and nature. The firm names projects including the Union Terrace Gardens restoration in Aberdeen, the Sighthill estate masterplan in Glasgow, public realm work at Battersea Power Station, Newcastle city centre, London's West End and Olympia, and proposed reservoirs to improve water resilience. A Wikipedia summary also mentions landscape and legacy masterplanning for Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

In its own words, "we champion change that raises the quality of life without hurting the planet". The about page says it takes a holistic view that links climate, biodiversity and social and economic inequality, uses data to measure impact, keeps learning, and backs renewable energy. It says the firm grew out of the new town movement and landscape architecture and pioneered green infrastructure planning. The tagline on its site is "connecting people and place through landscape". Wikipedia dates the practice to 1979, though the firm's pages we read do not state a founding year.

The about page says LDA Design has nine UK studios and about 200 people. Wikipedia lists studios in London, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, Peterborough, Cambridge, Glasgow and Oxford, which is eight, so we cannot confirm the ninth. A regional news profile described the Manchester studio, led by director Mark Graham, growing to 17 people in four years and moving to Ducie House in the Northern Quarter. It also named regional work in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle, a Newcastle public realm redesign including Grey Street, and a Trafford Wharfside design guide.

The firm says it is 100 per cent employee owned. Wikipedia says it became employee owned through an Employee Ownership Trust in 2021, and the firm's charter encourages staff to push boundaries and believe in one another. Daily life, it says, is spirited and creative, with an emphasis on listening and collective effort. The 2023 promotions page shows 21 staff promoted, including directors John Simpson, Rory Wilson and Sarah Touzeau. Wikipedia says it has won over 100 awards. These are the firm's and Wikipedia's claims, not independently checked.

Jobs include landscape architects, urban designers, masterplanners, planners, environmental consultants and technicians. A regional profile said it was recruiting experienced landscape architects, urban designers and technicians. Subjects such as geography, art, design, biology, environmental science and planning all feed into this work, and landscape architecture is a good fit for people who like both drawing and nature.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Design of parks, streets and public spaces, from large masterplans to details.', 'title': 'Landscape architecture and urban design'}
• {'desc': 'Plans for places, from regeneration frameworks to green infrastructure.', 'title': 'Planning and strategy'}
• {'desc': 'Assessment of landscape and environmental effects of major projects.', 'title': 'Environmental consulting'}

Key facts

• 100 per cent employee owned, about 200 people, nine UK studios (company about page)
• Projects include Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen and public realm at Battersea Power Station
• Tagline: connecting people and place through landscape
• Wikipedia lists studios in London, Bristol, Exeter, Manchester, Peterborough, Cambridge, Glasgow and Oxford

Website: www.lda-design.co.uk