GlaxoSmithKline
A greener approach to industrial expansion
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Location
RIBA Work Stages
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Overview
As industrial and manufacturing sites expand, thoughtful landscape design can play a crucial role in balancing operational growth with environmental responsibility.
At GlaxoSmithKline’s Ware campus, BoonBrown was appointed to support the proposed expansion of a major industrial facility, delivering environmental impact studies, landscape assessments and landscape design solutions that helped integrate the development more sensitively into its surroundings.
Working across RIBA Stages 1-4, our role focused on understanding the site’s environmental context and identifying opportunities to reduce visual impact while enhancing biodiversity and landscape character.
Designing with the Landscape, Not Against It
Large-scale industrial developments can present significant challenges within the surrounding landscape.
Through detailed visual impact analysis, we developed a landscape strategy that worked with the natural topography to help soften views of the proposed expansion. A series of earth bunds combined with extensive native tree planting were introduced to create a layered green framework around the site.
Rather than creating a hard edge between industry and countryside, the proposals aimed to establish a more natural transition, allowing the development to sit comfortably within the wider landscape.
Bringing Nature into the Built Environment
The landscape approach extended beyond the site boundaries and into the architecture itself.
To help break up the scale of large building elevations, living wall systems were incorporated using steel and wire climbing structures designed to support fast-growing planting. Over time, these green facades would introduce texture, colour and seasonal change, helping to create a more attractive and visually responsive environment.
The result is a landscape-led solution that demonstrates how green infrastructure can enhance even the most complex commercial and industrial developments.
Supporting Biodiversity and Environmental Enhancement
Alongside visual mitigation, ecology formed a key part of the project.
Our work included ecological surveys and the development of habitat proposals designed to strengthen biodiversity across the site. Native planting and habitat creation measures were integrated into the wider landscape strategy, helping deliver environmental benefits while supporting the planning process.
This approach highlights the growing importance of sustainable landscape architecture in creating developments that respond positively to both people and nature.
A Landscape Strategy for Long-Term Growth
As businesses evolve, their environments must evolve with them.
Our work at GlaxoSmithKline Ware shows how landscape architecture can help major employers expand responsibly while respecting their environmental setting. Through environmental assessment, biodiversity enhancement and innovative green infrastructure, the project established a landscape framework that supports growth while improving the experience of the site and its surroundings.
The scheme demonstrates the value of landscape-led thinking from the earliest stages of development, creating solutions that not only reduce visual impact but contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.