LANDSCAPING
Laying the foundations
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Landscaping for new-world campuses
n years gone by, a university’s history and reputation were the only things that mattered, but as tertiary education has expanded and competition tightened in the bid for students, new factors come into play. The campus is one of these. Now, the criteria has evolved to a point where the aesthetics and ambience of a campus environment embraces architectural design and materials and even landscaping. If a place feels good, then it probably is. Having provided landscaping and ground maintenance services to a range of higher education
30 | Spring 2022 | CAMPUS
establishments, including Cardiff Metropolitan, Cranfield University and others, The Nurture Landscapes Group has long recognised the connection between student wellbeing and a campus’s environment, layout and upkeep. Paul Bean, sales director, explains why this is important. We humans are sentient creatures – decisions are often made through a combination of the emotional and the rational, in that order. We need to feel comfortable and fully confident in our choices, and it is often the heart not the mind that
has the final say! For most students, and particularly freshers for whom a university campus is the first bridge into the adult world, a sense of family and community remain important. They look forward to feeling part of a community, not just as members of an institution, whatever its academic profile. Through their design, landscaping and upkeep, a campus can foster a sense of community and safety. Over half of the two thousand respondents of a survey conducted recently by student community forum, The
