interview with Veronika driga, landscape architect

interview with Veronika driga

landscape architect

where did you study landscape architecture?

I have successfully completed my Master’s Degree in environmental design from the Kiev University in 2012. I have worked across landscape architecture and interior design in Ukraine, Montenegro and UAE. I have been living in Dubai for the past 4 years and working on my own projects.

why did you decide to start your own landscape company?

I have a lot of experience in Landscape design and I’m confident in my skills so it made sense for me to start my own company. It’s a risk but I believe I’ll be successful.

what’s your experience been like operating in the uae so far?

It’s still early days, I’m just starting out and I’m slowly building the business but I’ve already had some projects reach completion stage and I’ve had good feedback from clients so it’s all positive!

describe your approach to landscape design?

There are many aspects to my landscape design approach, however, my main concern is to ensure that every design satisfies all of the senses: it should be aesthetically pleasing, blend shapes and colors in harmony; invigorate your sense of smell with flowers and herbs; provide tactile sensations from materials and finishes; sounds of water features and birds; and if possible something edible. If all these boxes are ticked, people will feel very relaxed and comfortable in a garden space.

where do you draw inspiration from when beginning a new project?

I usually begin by determining the needs of my client and what needs the landscape design should satisfy, and then create a general concept, zoning and complement the architectural style of the whole environment.

what kind of projects excite you? can you share any you are working on?

At the minute, I’m really enjoying working on projects for private villa gardens and public parks. In the future, of course I’d love to work on more iconic projects.

what is the most frustrating aspect of your work? and the most rewarding one?

Having to have patience is the most frustrating aspect of our work as we have to wait for the landscape to grow and bloom! However, equally it’s the most rewarding as when you see one of your projects in a few years’ time, and it’s fully developed, then that is also rewarding and makes it all worthwhile as you know it will last for years to come.

what are your thoughts on how the global pandemic (covid) has affected the landscape architecture industry both ere in the region and globally?

Covid-19 has affected the economic situation in every country. Many projects are frozen and landscape design is not developing as before. But the situation with increased restrictions and social distancing can add some value to residential landscape projects because people stay home more often and they want to have comfortable and well designed outdoor space.

How have you adapted its working design in the post covid climate?

I hope we will get back to normal life very soon. But nowadays we have a more flexible schedule, and the possibility to work remotely from anywhere in the world.

what is the difference between the landscape industry here in the Middle east compared to in other countries.

The climate in the Middle East is very hot and dry especially in GCC. And of course, it affects softscape design. We can’t create English gardens with a lot of mix borders, flowerbeds, fruit plants, free style of landscaping. Instead of that landscape architects must think about sustainability and also be creative to compete with the very modern and futuristic environment of the UAE. And this actually opens up great opportunities for designers to realize some of their crazy ideas and innovations. My country (Ukraine) is very green and has the most fertile soil in the world. But often we can’t create something new because we have to complement the existing old European style of cities.

if you had one professional motto to live by, what would it be?

One of my favorite quotes: “Design is intelligence made visible.”