In the construction trade, there are certain rules and regulations that cannot be broken for safety’s sake- but when it comes to garden design, while some of the same guidelines still apply- the rulebook can be thrown out when inclement weather affects the progressand deadlines change. There can be days with heavy rain or freezing conditions, which can halt all landscaping work on site and this doesn’t always comply with the tight building programmes that exist today. Registered Landscape Architect, Deirdre Prince- who has overseen the successful completion of many varied and weathered landscape projects- knows better than to step out on to a site with any pre-conceptions, as each site has completely different conditions and each landscape is a bespoke design, waiting to be discovered.
“Landscape architecture and garden design
are slow forms of performing art.”
– Deirdre Prince
Graduating in 1992, with a degree in Architectural Technology from Dublin Institute of Technology (D.I.T.), Deirdre spent a number of years working in the construction industry, working alongside numerous professionals and developing her skills. It was her love of nature that finally compelled her back to college to study a Masters in Landscape Architecture at University College Dublin (U.C.D.), and since then, Deirdre has been rethinking the boundaries of her clients’ backyards, front gardens and commercial landscapes, where she has never been happier, and neither have her clients.
“The same guidelines do not apply to architects and landscape architects,” Deirdre explained. “I worked in the construction sector for several years and I understand how it operates- designing landscapes is different as it has to take the eventual growth of plants into account. It is very rewarding though- with each season, the plants grow, and you see the difference you’ve made to a project.”
“There is nothing quite as rewarding as working with nature and creating landscapes which provide areas of calm and relaxation for Clients. Landscape architecture and garden design are slow forms of performing art and the spaces I design are continually changing with each season and creating different vistas each year.”
Though that is not to say that Deirdre did not leave her mark on the architectural world. As a Landscape Architect and Architectural Technologist for Brian O’Halloran & Associates, in Dublin- she worked on a variety of projects, including the Sean O’Casey Bridge, Dublin, and the Dundalk Courthouse, Co. Louth. As a member of the design team with Gilroy McMahon, Deirdre worked on the Croke Park Stadium Redevelopment. And with Bucholz/McEvoy and BDP, she completed projects such as the Fingal County Hall Civic Offices, Swords, Dublin.
A variety of landscaping projects- from landscape masterplanning of amenities to residential development schemes now bolsters her resume. Her dedication and instincts, blended with her genuine interest in her clients’ vision, create an amiable atmosphere that lasts the entirety of the landscaping process. From inception to completion, initial sketches to blossoming Cherry Trees- Deirdre’s eye for nature’s form and her striking professionalism, pave the way for her clients’ to create their own botanic gardens.
Stepping away from architectural practices in 2009, Deirdre set up on her own and today practices as a landscape architect and garden design consultant for domestic and commercial clients- both in Ireland and overseas. She has lectured and tutored in the Higher National Diploma of Landscape Design and Garden Design at Senior College Dun Laoghaire VEC and is a tutor with the CDETB. She is also a regular contributor to the gardening section of Ireland’s Homes, Interiors and Living magazine; a Council member of the Garden & Landscape Design Association and a Corporate member of the Irish Landscape Institute. The services she offers include landscape consultancy, design, landscape planning application, landscape conservation and project management.
“Just email or call- I will get right back to you,” Deirdre said. “The first thing I do is go out onto the site, get a sense of the existing place and take it from there. I talk my clients through every stage and process. I love it really- meeting the clients is my favourite part, that and the day when plants arrive on site from the nurseries. It’s wonderful- especially when the clients can’t see the negatives in their gardens, because they’re accustomed to them, and then I come up with a design and they see the difference that you’ve made with their gardens- the continual changes coming into Spring and all through the seasons- and they’re delighted with it.”
Deirdre Prince Landscape Architect
41 Haughton Terrace, Arbour Hill, Dublin 7
Contact Deirdre Prince: 087 991 6961
deirdre.prince@gmail.com
www.deirdreprince.ie
