Landscape design has the power to transform spaces and places, particularly within urban environments where multiple professions and sectors intersect. A new digital tool has been developed to help the landscape industry reduce its environmental impact while maximising benefits for climate and nature. Elemental, a free-to-use web app, brings together expert knowledge and practical resources to support more sustainable design choices. By guiding users through a series of questions, the tool generates a sustainability score for each project.
Developed in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), the Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (SGLD), the Landscape Institute (LI) and supported by The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL), Nicholsons, and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA). Elemental draws on a wide base of industry expertise to offer actionable advice, guidance and evaluation.
Sustainability is a priority alongside transparency to achieve targets and goals. Elemental’s aim to support the design of more resilient and biodiversity landscape projects is underpinned by accessible resources. Supporting landscape architects, designers, suppliers and contractors, this comprehensive set of resources is divided into six aspects: Materials management, soils, water and air, biodiversity, people, and emissions. Bringing transparency across these aspects, the tool offers information to help professionals from different sectors understand how to evaluate the sustainability of their project.
Within the biodiversity section, for example, questions prompt users to consider planting mixes, the climate resilience of tree species, and chemical use, as well as broader ecological factors such as habitat connectivity and local green infrastructure. In doing so, the tool encourages both horticultural and landscape sectors to take meaningful next steps in measuring and improving their sustainability practice. From ecological footprinting to place-based initiatives, Elemental brings together the resources and metrics needed to make sustainable decision-making both achievable and impactful. Creating resilient and biodiversity landscapes creates better urban design, for people and the planet.
