Meet Studio Knight Stokoe, the landscape architects guided by ‘resilience, regeneration and empathy’

Landscape architecture is an often overlooked area of design, Martin Knight and Claire Stokoe argue; and while a focus on climate and biodiversity emergencies has emerged strongly in recent years, putting the outdoors more and more into the spotlight, the pair behind Studio Knight Stokoe feel there’s more to be said about a particular aspect of the profession.

‘An area that is being looked at less, that has huge potential, is taking as strong a focus on a retain, reuse and recycle agenda for existing landscapes, and questioning whether wholesale replacement of spaces, built elements, and planting, is the right approach, just to deliver a particular vision for a place. Can these elements not be woven into the fabric of the landscape solution for a place? Are they not part of the established character and material memory of place?’ they ask.

Meet Studio Knight Stokoe

Knight and Stokoe co-founded their namesake, small but dynamic landscape architecture and urban design practice in the south-west of England in 2022. Aiming to remain boutique and nimble, the studio follows the same approach in its projects too, valuing quality and craft over volume – with just the two directors as permanent members of staff and a family of skilled collaborators on their books, bringing specialised expertise where needed.

This also allows them to have hands-on involvement in each project: ‘When you work with us, you'll always be working directly with either Martin or Claire, which is something we've found clients and collaborators are responding really positively to,’ they say. The studio’s B Corp certification is further proof of their commitment to accountability and sustainable practice. They flag: ‘At our core, we're guided by three interconnected principles: resilience, regeneration, and empathy. We craft landscapes that harmonise society and nature, creating places that can adapt to challenges while actively enhancing the environments they inhabit.’

Their first completed project, Plant, a revived brutalist garden at Mountbatten House in Basingstoke, not only perfectly embodies these values, but it was also a landmark project for the young firm. The task outlined the reimagining of the Grade II-listed Registered Park and Garden’s ‘hanging gardens’ for today’s needs. It required delicate tackling of the existing environment, respecting designer James Russell's original 1970s vision for the grounds.

As a result, the scheme achieved wide acclaim as well as a BREEAM Outstanding certification, showcasing seamlessly Knight and Stokoe’s ‘craft-to-high-tech’ approach that favours a balance between artistry and functionality. ‘Without question, being appointed for the technical construction design and delivery of Plant was transformative. It represented a huge vote of confidence from the developer and contractor in our capabilities as designers and as a business,’ they say.

Since its completion, the studio has been going from strength to strength. It has an ongoing stewardship role at Plant, where the directors guide the establishment of its gardens over time (‘It is very rare to secure such a role,’ they highlight); it is currently involved in the retrofit and reuse of a Grade II-listed building on the harbourside at Canons Wharf in Bristol, creating new outdoor amenity spaces; and it is also working on a new micro-urban forest school in the heart of Westminster, London. These and other projects across the UK, from private gardens to commercial and public spaces, make for an exciting future for the young practice.