A Sense of Identity: an exploration of landscape architecture in Africa

In the final Dean's Lecture for 2023, landscape architects and designers Chloe and Michael Humphreys from The Landscape Studio outline their unique approach which is driven by careful observation and an in-depth understanding of the wider landscape and cultural differences.

In this lecture, Chloe and Michael explore the simple bold gestures and long term thinking of their design practice through key projects such as a bishop's house in Rwanda which incorporates volcanic stone found in the area, and a beachfront property in Kenya looking out onto a national park incorporating native flora.

As landscape architects, they seek to embrace and celebrate a sense of place, and keep carefully in tune with the true identities of their project sites.

About the speakers

Chloe and Michael Humphreys founded The Landscape Studio, a small award-winning landscape architecture and design firm based between East Africa and Europe. The studio has created solutions for a diverse portfolio of projects; conservation projects, planning, and design of academic and residential projects.

Their philosophy is to achieve a balance restored, to design solutions where the spaces in which we interact with our natural environment are mutually beneficial for the ecosystem and the people that inhabit it. Key to achieving these goals is their focus to improve biodiversity and the ecology of their project sites and to investigate sustainable and responsible hardscape, stormwater, and planting solutions. Observation of the existing conditions and understanding of the context is fundamental to their approach.