Liz Lake Associates

What brought you to Nottingham and the Creative Quarter?

Liz Lake Associates wanted to open an office in the Midlands region to service a growing workload in the area. We felt that Nottingham was the best location for us to be able to do this effectively. We work within a creative industry so we liked the idea of being within a community of like-minded professionals where we can benefit from the energy fizzing through the air here.

You specialise in creating great places...what do you think makes a great place?

A great place is one which responds creatively to the needs of the people who will experience that place. They need to be accessible, engaging, beautiful and sociable. The places that we create add value to development and enhance the experience of people using those developments. We are also very aware of the sustainability agenda so we like to create places which help to combat climate change and enhance biodiversity where possible.

What do you think makes Nottingham a great place...and what do you think could be improved?

Nottingham is an incredibly vibrant and diverse city. Much of this stems from the rich mix of things that happen here - students learn; workers work and residents live here. Many of the buildings within the city centre are historic, traditional buildings and that gives the city a mature and established feel with a rich sense of heritage. There is also an exciting sense of optimism – new shops, restaurants and bars are opening all the time whilst derelict buildings are being renovated and other buildings are being refreshed. However, there are still loads of brownfield sites crying out for new development which would really enhance and enliven the city centre.

Can you give us a sneak peek of any projects you're working on at the moment, especially local ones?

We're working on a really exciting development just outside the city centre which will become a fantastic place for a new community to live whilst being within easy reach of the city centre. Our client is a local developer and the architect is Nottingham based as well. More news soon!

What benefits do you offer businesses & organisations here?

Liz Lake Associates offer a high quality and professional landscape architecture service for clients and co-consultants in the area. We benefit local businesses by buying their coffee, sandwiches, stationery and other services. I love the fact that there are so many independent coffee bars who are so passionate about what they do.

How many of you will be based in Nottingham?

At the moment there are two of us but as the workload grows I am hoping to expand the team.

Will you be hiring local talent & taking on interns/apprentices?

We have already hired one local person and as we expand we are aiming to take on further staff, including a year out student.

What's your favourite place in Nottingham?

My favourite place in Nottingham is either the Old Market Square – a great piece of landscape architecture which has created a flexible and exciting civic space or Carlton/Pelham Street with its bars, cafes and vintage shops.

If you could create anything in the world...what would it be?

As a landscape architect who enjoys bird watching I have always wanted to work on creating a nature reserve – the Barnes Wetland Centre in London is a really good one and one of my favourite places. I'm also a cyclist so would love to have the opportunity to design a bicycle.

Your services span a lot of different areas - do you think this is the secret to creating great places?

The secret is to be genuinely passionate about what you do and to understand what can be achieved through ambition and truly believing in the benefits of your work.

Will you be collaborating with other businesses in the Creative Quarter?

Yes, we are very excited at the prospect of working with local clients, developers, architects, planners, project managers, engineers, surveyors and land agents.

Find out more