Designing with large trees and how architects can create immediate impact

Architecture is often judged by the relationship between buildings and their surroundings, but even an exceptional building can feel unfinished when it sits within a landscape of young trees, exposed ground and recently planted borders. For architects and specifiers, large trees offer a way to bridge that gap, creating an established sense of place from the moment a development is completed, writes Pete Thomas, at Ruskins, the tree and soil specialists.

The challenge is that trees take time to grow. A landscape designed around saplings may need years, or even decades, to achieve the scale, shade, screening and visual balance originally envisaged. Large or more mature trees can accelerate that process, helping architects create spaces that feel considered and established rather than newly constructed.

This is not only an aesthetic consideration. Trees can influence how people perceive a development, how public spaces are used and how successfully new buildings sit within their surroundings. The question for architects is no longer about which trees to plant, but whether supplying and planting larger specimens - or relocating suitable existing trees - could deliver a better outcome.

Trees can be a constraint on development, but they can also be part of the solution. Existing trees may influence building positions, access arrangements, infrastructure routes and the landscape strategy. Their removal can create additional planning challenges, particularly where trees have significant amenity, ecological or landscape value.

The UK Government's planning guidance recognises trees and woodlands as important components of green infrastructure that can help create sustainable places. The National Planning Policy Framework also encourages the conservation and enhancement of established trees and hedgerows where possible, alongside appropriate landscaping to integrate development into its surroundings.

For architects, this creates an opportunity to make trees part of the design response from the outset. Where an existing tree conflicts with a proposed layout, the options should be explored before removal is assumed to be inevitable. Can the building footprint be adjusted? Could a service route be changed? Would moving a suitable tree allow the design to proceed while retaining an important landscape feature?

Specialist tree relocation can sometimes provide an alternative, although feasibility depends on the species, size, condition, root system, soil and receiving location. Early advice from a specialist like us, can help establish whether relocation is realistic before the design becomes difficult to change.

The commercial case for investing in large trees

A well-designed landscape can contribute to the perceived quality and appeal of a development, but putting a precise financial figure on the value of large trees requires care.

The Woodland Trust's 2019 guide, Residential Developments and Trees, summarises research indicating that well-designed green space and tree planting can contribute to property values. It cites a review by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) which found that properties in environments landscaped with trees or close to green space experienced price increases of up to 30%. This is a reported upper range, not a guaranteed uplift for every development or a figure attributable to large trees alone.

The Office for National Statistics, in its UK natural capital accounts, also examined the relationship between property prices and nearby environmental assets. Its analysis of 2009–2016 data found that very large areas of functional green space within 200 metres of a property were associated with a 1.4% increase in property prices. This measures proximity to green space rather than the direct effect of installing large trees, but it reinforces the importance of the wider landscape setting.

For architects and developers, the more defensible commercial argument is that large trees can help a scheme deliver its intended landscape character immediately. They can provide established scale, structure and screening from the outset, although the financial return will depend on the location, design, market and quality of delivery.

The difference between planting small trees and specifying larger specimens is particularly apparent in developments where landscape character is central to the design.

A large tree can frame an entrance, define a public space, soften a building façade or screen less attractive views. In residential schemes, it can help streets and communal areas feel established sooner. In commercial and mixed-use developments, carefully positioned trees can provide shade and help create more inviting outdoor environments.

Ruskins works with developers, contractors and landscape professionals to supply and plant large trees, as well as relocate suitable existing trees. Its services allow architects to consider different approaches according to the project's budget, programme, design intent and site constraints.

The choice is not always between a small tree and a large one. A successful landscape may combine larger feature trees with younger planting, creating immediate impact while allowing the overall scheme to develop over time.

1,200 trees relocated for Redrow

Ruskins' work with Redrow Homes in Waterlooville, Hampshire, demonstrates how established trees can form part of a major residential development strategy. Our company relocated 1,200 trees as part of a development comprising 3,200 new homes. The relocation was required by the local council to create a shelter belt that would screen ongoing construction and allow the project to continue.

Trees up to five metres tall were transported and replanted, alongside hedge moving, re-pleaching and soil decompaction. Some 99.5% of the trees were thriving eight years later, with careful planning and aftercare.

This is a project-specific result rather than a guarantee of transplanting success elsewhere. Nevertheless, it demonstrates how tree relocation can be used to meet a landscape requirement while supporting the delivery of a large development.

For architects, it also illustrates the importance of treating tree management as a design and delivery consideration, rather than a task left until the landscaping phase.

Large trees can transform the experience of a development, but their successful use depends on early coordination. Architects should consider access for delivery and lifting equipment, available rooting space, soil condition, underground services, future maintenance and the relationship between trees and buildings.

Where existing trees are suitable for relocation, early feasibility work is also essential. Where new mature specimens are being supplied, the planting environment must support their establishment and long-term health. Aftercare is equally important, where immediate visual impact is valuable only if the trees continue to thrive.

All this means that for architects and specifiers, large trees offer a way to create an established landscape from day one. By bringing specialist tree expertise into the design process early, it is possible to make more informed choices about retention, relocation and planting and deliver developments in which the landscape feels like an integral part of the architecture and not an afterthought.

For more information visit: https://www.ruskins.co.uk/