A full-service nature-based design studio
SLA provides full-service public space and landscape design, master planning, city strategies, and climate adaptation. We also do ecological studies, anthropological analyses, biodiversity strategies, citizens engagements processes, scientific research projects, maintenance plans, product design, exhibitions, and process facilitation.
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the cornerstone of our practice. We work across all scales and all typologies: From small-scale interventions, pocket parks, and green roofs to urban plazas, biodiversity parks, and the design of entire new neighborhoods.
Central in our landscape design is to add a new form of city nature to the public realm: A man-made nature that solves today’s many man-made problems, adds new nature qualities to the built environment, climate adapts our cities, and makes life worth living for all.
Planning
From traditional master planning to hybrid strategic-physical development plans. From the planning of entire new cities in Asia to transformative master planning of inner-city neighborhoods in the cities of Europe and North America.
Whatever the scale or the context, our planning projects always aim to create balanced and complete cities where buildings, public space, social life, climate action, mobility, and green-blue infrastructure combine to create the best possible places to live.
Strategy
We have a long history of developing sustainability strategies that create positive impact on nature and people. We help our clients clarify their ambitions and define their direction through value based and science based strategies and hands on implementation plans:
From citizens-driven development strategies and city-wide nature-based climate adaptation strategies to nature positive biodiversity strategies for investors, cities, and states.
In all our strategy work, we draw on 30 years hands-on experience from creating synergy between the built and the grown environment, by combining the social, cultural, economic, and ecological development of people, nature, and cities.
Climate action
The climate crisis is one of the most fundamental emergencies of our time. As one of the world leaders in ecosystem service design and nature-based climate adaptation, we help cities, businesses and communities mitigate and adapt to the disrupting effects of climate change – from cloudbursts, flooding, and rising sea levels to air and water pollution, biodiversity loss, and urban heat-island effects.
We do so by turning the challenges of climate change into new opportunities to design resilient, greener, and more livable places for all.
Biodiversity & ecosystem services
Our ecological and biodiversity services stretch from integrated ecosystem service designs to in-depth analyses, strategies, and solutions for biodiversity and sustainability.
Amongst our services are biodiversity strategies, ecological impact assessments, biological baseline studies, and Biodiversity Net Gain assessments. We specialize in interdisciplinary studies that combine ecological and biodiversity strategies with the social, environmental, and economic effects of a living and healthy biosphere. We help communities, cities, and companies empower biodiversity on all scales.
Anthropological research & community engagement
We perform all anthropological services with regard to city development, nature-based design, and placemaking. From public life observations, social baseline studies, and stakeholder interviews to safe city strategies, data analytics, and citizens engagement processes.
Our work uncovers how humans understand and interact with their built and grown surroundings. We turn this understanding into social strategies, public life action plans, and nature-based design solutions.
Analysis and studies
To improve tomorrow’s life means understanding today’s. Not only the life of humans but also of cities, communities, plants, and animals. We provide analyses and studies that create the optimal foundation for design and development. Amongst our services are ecological baseline studies, Biodiversity Net Gain assessments, fieldwork research, anthropological interviews and surveys, public life observations, and on-site physical mappings and evaluations.
Our interdisciplinary analyses and studies daylight the challenges of our projects and help our clients discover their hidden opportunities.
Nature-based maintenance
Designing nature-based places require a new paradigm for the care and maintenance of our green spaces. We design innovative maintenance guidelines that support and create natural environments and biotopes with high biodiversity, multiple functionalities, and low maintenance costs.
Our nature-based maintenance allows our clients to minimize the maintenance and maximize the performance of their new city nature: A city nature with resilient and self-regulating ecosystems and biotopes that grow and develop with the city – not against it.
Product design
We continuously design and develop new product designs. Our product designs include lighting, tree grates, multifunctional urban furniture, trench drains, drain grates, bollards, and bike parking.
All our product designs balance high functionality and sustainable materials with everyday usage and sensuous and beautiful designs.
Thinking
We have a strong legacy of combining design practice with academic writings, scientific research, and philosophical thinking. We conduct several independent thinking and research projects where we explore, analyze, and challenge the political, philosophical, and social megatrends and developments of our time.
We share our thinking through exhibitions, lectures, expos, studies, publications, research projects, and visions.
