Jun 21, 2023
Client: Beyond the Box Completion: July 2023 Senior Team: Catherine Xavier, Rebecca Morgan Project Description: Colne Quay is an exciting development of student studio apartments and support facilities set on a former commercial plot adjoining the River Colne in...
May 26, 2019
Landscape Cost: N/ARIBA Work Stages: 2-4 GUARDA produced a landscape and visual impact assessment for a B1 office and start-up hub (2 storeys in height). The scheme also encompasses a new vehicular access from Stortford Road and associated car parking, landscaping,...
May 26, 2018
Landscape Cost: Approx. £40kRIBA Work Stages: 2/3 GUARDA were commissioned to produce an illustrative landscape masterplan to accompany a planning application. This consisted of an appraisal of the existing site and the character of the surrounding area, examination...Lois joined Guarda Landscape in 2023 after graduating in architecture and has since built on her design skills through a growing interest in landscape. She enjoys exploring how considered design can shape the way people experience outdoor spaces, with a focus on visualising ideas through rendered plans and sections. Her experience spans projects in healthcare settings, residential developments, co-housing communities, and roof terraces, covering both hard and soft landscape design.
Outside of work, Lois holds a season ticket for the Canaries, enjoys spending time with her cats, and likes travelling and exploring new places.
GUARDA is growing!
We’re busier than ever and, with new clients coming onboard every month we’ve recruited regularly, even during the COVID19 pandemic.
If you fancy a role with a wide portfolio of projects, working with a talented and fun team, GUARDA could be the place for you.
Send admin@guardalandscape.com an email to introduce yourself, with a cv if possible, and if we’re not recruiting right-away we’ll keep your details on file for the future.
Eric is a Chartered Landscape Architect with a wealth of experience in residential design. He has also worked on projects in leisure, commercial, and retirement and care home sectors.
Projects range from small-scale schemes of 2-3 dwellings up to very large-scale developments encompassing residential, mixed use, and public open space design; incorporating a range of ecological habitats, play space design and SuDS features. Key responsibilities are design and project management, ensuring strong liaison with other disciplines and specialisms and management and mentoring of team members.
Eric has acquired knowledge and experience across the RIBA work stages from strategic input right the way through to implementation and handover. He has a keen eye for detail and mainly focuses on hard and softworks detailed design and technical design and construction. He is currently working on a large-scale Hill residential site near Norwich and two retirement living schemes in Norfolk and Suffolk.
He has a passion for sustainability and a keen interest in running and walking, and is the undisputed king of Fantasy Football (in the office).
Tim has many years of experience managing teams; encouraging staff and removing obstacles to enable everyone to work to their fullest potential.
He started his career in aircraft engineering, but has spent the bulk of his career in customer and production focused roles – using his love of problem solving to build resilient and innovative solutions for both clients and colleagues alike. Having recently completed a Lean Management qualification Tim’s time is spent ensuring the administrative, finance and marketing functions of Guarda run smoothly, allowing the rest of the team to focus on their creativity.
When he isn’t working Tim loves being outdoors. He’ll normally be founding surfing the Norfolk coast, riding one of his bikes or possibly waist deep in the beautiful river Wensum attempting to catch trout.
James is a creative and enthusiastic landscape architect with a passion for the natural world and bringing new ideas into the industry. James’ ethos and overall design philosophy aims to create a stronger connection between people and biodiversity as well as providing high quality design. His dissertation focused on softening the active edge between the urban and rural landscape as well as promoting a greater species richness primarily in bird populations. This was achieved through the designing, restoring and embellishing of existing and new habitats within the context of an existing brownfield site that would also educate the community about the importance of the design.
He finds great inspiration in theories such as biophilia, messy ecosystems and ecosystem services. These heavily contribute to his design decisions. James’ overall goal within the industry is to create sustainable environments that will impact both current and future generations as well as promoting more recognition for the industry and how important it is to the world.
In his spare time James enjoys birdwatching and exploring the landscape of his home county, Norfolk as well as leaving time to socialise with friends.
Roger is a landscape architect with a background in large‑scale landscape construction and agriculture, bringing strong practical on‑site experience and a keen eye for technical detail. He is passionate about how landscape is experienced by the end user and is driven by designing places that are robust, legible, and built for longevity.
He is currently leading landscape input on several Saffron Housing Trust social housing schemes, a new Hospice site in Gorleston, and the restoration of East Lodge at Nunhead Cemetery for Southwark Council.
Outside work, Roger is a committed woodworker and spends much of his time renovating his old cottage in Norfolk. His spaniel, Dot, joins him in the studio every day.
Rebecca is an experienced landscape architect, previously focusing on leisure, therapeutic and a wide variety of residential projects. She initially studied for a fine art degree at Winchester School of Art and she brings to the team design flair and attention to detail. She is passionate about horticulture and has accumulated a wealth of planting knowledge and practical experience while working in the sector.
Rebecca has been developing the landscape design on the Horizon public realm scheme in St Helier, where construction has recently commenced. She is also working with a number of smaller developers in London on a variety of residential schemes and she leads the design on a larger residential schemes near Cambridge for HILL. She was also instrumental in producing the landscape package for the planning application for student accommodation at Avon Way and on the riverside at Colne Quay, both in Colchester.
Rebecca loves getting out into the East Anglian countryside for rambles followed by cooking (eating) and dancing salsa.
Zac is an enthusiastic and driven Landscape Architect who specialises in ecological landscape design. His passion lies with planting and substrate design; he has a particular interest in using crushed recycled materials and re-use of on-site waste leading to a more circular economy.
Zac joined Guarda in 2025, and has since worked on a mix of residential and public realm projects across East Anglia and in Jersey. He has also been involved with roof terrace design and worked in multi-disciplinary teams to accommodate highways, drainage, architectural, arboricultural and ecological opportunities and constraints. Previously Zac designed Zoo landscapes at a masterplan level through to detailed construction design. He developed these skills further into writing management plans and detailed planting design.
In the rare occurrence when he isn’t doing something Landscape related, Zac enjoys cycling, walking, and is starting to get into wood working.
Catherine is a Chartered Landscape Architect and has previously worked in the public and private sector for over 25 years. She has experience of all forms of landscape architecture, including feasibility, assessment, master planning, design and implementation. She set up Guarda in 2016 and since then has led the team, maintaining a size and culture which fosters an organised and also flexible approach.
Her passion lies in taking a project from inception through to construction and then completion. This has been realised in her work at St Helier in Jersey where she collaborated with the multi-disciplinary team to develop a concept and then design for Trenton Square at the International Finance Centre. This space has become a well-used and bustling outdoor hub with pockets of tranquil seating amongst the planting. This was followed by the design of extensive public realm on the waterfront for a large-scale residential scheme at Horizon.
She fully understands the nuances of planning and has an excellent track record of delivering successful landscape schemes that gain planning approval. Schemes include small to large-scale residential and mixed-use projects, some of which are in sensitive locations. She has also worked successfully within education, health and commercial sectors to deliver a wide variety of projects.