In February, the LI South East Branch hosted a Landscape Masterclass in coordination with the National Saturday Club and Activate Learning at Merrist Wood College, which was prepared and conducted by the South East Branch Chair, Bridgette Macilwaine.
This was a brilliant opportunity to connect and engage with students aged 13-16 years old, to share with them the Landscape Profession and support them through a creative design workshop. The College setting provided a wonderful location to inspire the students creative work and was exciting to see how their different ideas came together to create this landscape journey.
The students were shared a visual presentation to explore how landscape design can shape identity, inspire experiences, promote and protect wildlife and support wellbeing across the UK as well as the areas of the Merrist Wood College campus.
The session highlighted how the grounds serve as:
- A landmark students connect with;
- A welcoming first impression for new visitors;
- A calm retreat supporting student wellbeing;
- A haven for local biodiversity.
The team then took the students out for a walk around the campus grounds to investigate the landscape, the plants, architecture, sounds, history, and the views of the varying spaces. Once returning to the session room, the students then put these ideas into practice by designing their own landscape-inspired spaces and creating 3D maquettes, using the campus as their source of inspiration.
They worked with the concept of the Landscape Journey, which spanned five distinctive zones. Each zone could be glimpsed from different viewpoints across the campus, drawing the eye forward between trees and creating an engaging and immersive route through the College grounds.
It was an inspiring morning of creativity, observation and design thinking—and a wonderful opportunity for students to learn from professionals in the field.
Many thanks to:
- LI South East Branch Chair and Masterclass host – Bridgette Macilwaine;
- The Merrist Wood College/Activate Learning team Samantha Robertson and Kellie Neighbour;
- National Saturday Club Coordinators Toria Brook-Hill and Lauren Glassman;
- Landscape Contractor presentation by Mark Whyman Landscapes.
