When I first chose to focus our work on urban trees and living systems—using words like nature, plants, gardens, soil, dirt, and water—I carried a slight concern. Could specialising in living systems mean we miss projects that demand high-end design? That somehow an office fluent in trees and soil could not also detail objects in stone or metal?
I suspect this concern sits somewhere in the collective psyche of many landscape architects. And yet, it is wrong.
There is something strange about the assumption that skill in designing living systems somehow limits the ability to design everything else. Quite odd, really. As if working with plants comes at the expense of understanding detailing and materials. In reality, designing with living systems is fundamentally a problem-solving exercise. It requires material intelligence, systems thinking, and technical understanding—qualities that sit at the core of good detailing.
Attention to detail matters deeply to me, personally. That’s why we relocated our design studio to Florence. The Italian relationship with detail is now an inspiration I see and feel daily. It is visible in buildings and their components, in fashion, in the beautiful machines on the roads or on countertops in cafés, in everyday objects. Having renovated my own apartment from scratch, I have come to understand how tradespeople here approach their work. They are serious about quality. They own their work. There is an inherent sense of respect in the way things are done, flowing into self-respect, and it feels good to be part of it.
This level of care has improved my quality of life in ways that are difficult to quantify. I feel calmer, more grounded, and emotionally uplifted by it. It creates an environment that feels considered, respectful, and human. These are the same qualities we seek when designing spaces. It only makes sense that we surround ourselves with them.
Of course, as a landscape architect, I look most closely at urban space. I am fortunate to be surrounded by well-proportioned, carefully detailed public environments—places shaped and reshaped over centuries in Florence, Siena, Lucca, and in towns both large and small across Tuscany.
The same relationship between nature-based solutions and attention to detail is evident in some of the best contemporary landscapes. Some fine examples I have seen are Ground Zero in New York, with exceptional stone detailing and cutting-edge below-tree planting techniques. The famous High Line needs no explanation. These are just two of countless examples that demonstrate what is possible when a deep understanding of living systems is paired with a high level of care and attention.
These places make something very clear. Integrating living systems does not dilute design quality.
Nature does not replace attention to detail. It demands it.
