Landscaping in the midst of the pandemic

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THE PINEWOOD STUDIO India

Introduction to Landscape Architecture | Online Course

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“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you”
-Frank Lloyd Wright

Connecting with nature is indeed something we can all resonate with, especially amid a pandemic where our access to it is limited and restricted. For most of us, the hope to journey back to ‘pre-covid normalcy’ is a dream we all wish to reach soon. A great way to begin this journey is to reinterpret the design of our habitable spaces in adaptation to the new normal.

If you cannot reach nature, then simply bring nature to you!

On the note of being better connected with nature, we dwell deeper into the topic by shifting the spotlight on landscape architecture and how it can act as a positive tool to keep the pandemic blues at bay.

We catch up with landscape architect Meghna Dulani Gehenwar of The Pinewood Studio, based out of Hyderabad-India, to gain better insight into landscape architecture and how we can incorporate it into our lives.

THE PINEWOOD STUDIO

Always intrigued by fascinating buildings and geometry, Meghna Dulani Gehenwar majored in Architecture. After gaining her Bachelor’s degree from CSIIT, she started her career working at some of the most prominent firms across Hyderabad and Bangalore. Five years into her professional life, she realised how crucial landscape is to every aspect of architecture and interiors. Given the deteriorating environmental scenario, the world needed more landscape architects, now more than ever!

Building upon this realisation and after substantial professional growth, Shashwat Gehenwar and Meghna Dulani Gehenwar cofounded “The Pinewood Studio” in 2014. A platform that showcases and reimagines the sphere of landscape design with a hint of “FLAMBOYANCE” to every project undertaken by the studio.

Over the years, The Pinewood Studio has designed unique modern landscapes. The latest feathers in its cap include the likes of Farzi Cafe, Pet Resort at Bangalore, Ciclo Cafe; and prestigious clients such as Woxen Business School, Asian Cinemas and more.

Let us dive right into our conversation with Meghna to discover more about her studio, expertise, and outlook on the effects of the pandemic on landscape design.

Tell us about how ‘The Pinewood Studio’ came about.

Meghna: Honestly, I got inspired by my maternal uncle who is an architect himself. So whenever I used to visit him in my summer vacations, I would be all starry-eyed looking at him, his confidence and his designs. That’s how I wanted to become an Architect. Establishing a firm all by yourself is tough, but I had complete support from my family, especially my father who always wanted me to be independent. I realised early on that I would like to be independent, allowing me to present my vision towards the designs.

That’s how “The Pinewood Studio” was born.

How do you approach a new landscape project and what inspires your process?

Meghna: The first thing that we always do is understand what our client’s vision is, what they need and what best we can do for them. Our inspirations are always our sites. Each site is unique, and we are blessed to get sites that are bestowed with natural features.

We love creating and working around them.

How do you select your palette of textures, colours, layers and contrasts for any of your compositions?

Meghna: We work on a palette once we have received an extremely clear design brief from our clients. The brief acts as a tool that we use to work our way around to create the best palette. Some clients are extremely specific and they know what they want. That in a way, helps us to customise the palette for them.

What are the key features of a signature landscape project executed by ‘The Pinewood Studio’?

Meghna: Our key feature is the pergola which is the star of our projects so far. When you enter a space and feel the sleekness of every element, please know that it is a project that has been designed by us!

We love the philosophy of ‘minimalism’, therefore less cluttered space, but impactful and soothing environment.

THE PANDEMIC

What is the future of Landscape Architecture post the pandemic outbreak?

Meghna: For the past decades, those looking at the intersections of planning, design, and public health have focused less on infectious diseases and more on chronic disease, hazards, disasters, and the vulnerable. The current pandemic brings the question of designing for infectious diseases back to the forefront and raises important questions for future research and practice.

Public health and safety will likely be on people’s minds even after the threat of contracting COVID-19 diminishes. People are going to be considering density and wanting more of that public space to be outside and thinking about the transmission of germs.

The pandemic has taught us that cities need to improve their infrastructure to help people live healthier lives. Some of the key factors are air quality, access to daylight and sunlight, and the provision of open space.

Walkability in local outdoor spaces has proved particularly important during the pandemic, not everyone has access to safe, walkable spaces. For example, some communities don’t have enough sidewalks. Pedestrians should have enough room to walk or shop despite the public health crisis. Some of these changes after the pandemic may decrease noise pollution and traffic and increase safety in busy areas.

Several restaurants, faced with restrictions on dine-in capacity, also reimagined outdoor seating options and found new uses for public space near their establishments. This trend will continue as restaurants and business owners look to include outdoor spaces in their place of work.

Has there been a shift in landscape design preferences from clients post the pandemic?

Meghna: Oh! Absolutely.

The brief that we get nowadays needs us to focus on more inclusive spaces and the addition of enough or lusher green plantation in the entire space. The pandemic has changed a lot of our lifestyles, therefore incorporation of these green spaces are a must.

How can landscape design benefit us during the pandemic?

Meghna: With the pandemic came a bunch of mental health issues when we are behind closed doors and working prolonged hours in front of our laptops. We do need a bit of green space all to ourselves. The first thing that we saw as soon as the travel restrictions were lifted was people going out and about to explore nature, be with it, hug those trees, and so on. What I and my team here are trying to do is, give each one of our clients a slice of that nature within their reach.

What are your top 5 tips on ways we can spruce up our environments with indoor landscape?

Meghna: Firstly – Plants, Plants, and More Plants! I cannot stress this enough to add those plants to your balconies, entrance areas, and wherever you have adequate sunlight coming in.

Second, I do recommend the addition to a water feature, but it’s completely subjective to the area and on the user whose space it is. The moment I say water feature, it does need elementary maintenance. So when the basics are reached, you can move to create a small seating space for “Me time”.

Third, The landscape is all about layers. So keep adding layers of plants, sculptures and other features that will add up to your space.