Gemma Sandford

The Personal Bit

I left St. Jo’s in 1994 (when there were 8 girls in my year!) knowing I wanted to do something creative but without a clear idea what! I went to Art College and discovered Spatial Design and that lead to Landscape Architecture.

After going to University in Leeds, I worked in both architecture and landscape practices in Leeds, Liverpool, London and Woodbridge finally ending up in Auckland, New Zealand with a Kiwi husband and 2 children.

Currently I am head of Landscape Architecture, working for a company called Synergine, a multidisciplinary company of Architects, Project Managers, Engineers, Strategists, Economists and Planners. Synergine is a unique company in that it focuses on the well-being of communities and cities with a holistic approach, our particular focus has been the sustainable, resilient and livable development of cities and urban areas to achieve positive social outcomes, through the holistic consideration of all aspects of society.

Landscape Architecture is a very wide discipline it blends science and art to achieve a balance between the built and natural environments and leads to extraordinary results which improve our world. We deal with a wide range of landscapes, from urban to rural spaces, infrastructure to parks, large city masterplans to small play spaces. We plan, design and manage spaces to help find the best solutions to improve health and wellbeing and create thriving communities. It’s about creating meaningful, sustainable, enriching and enjoyable places.

Landscape Architecture is the perfect combination of my love of the landscape, (particularly the Suffolk landscape) the natural rhythms and the tangible output of something that can be used in a practical way. It knits the creative and the practical perfectly.

The Professional Bit

Gemma is a Landscape Architect and Urban Designer with nineteen years’ professional experience gained in the UK and in New Zealand. She has expertise in a broad range of project types and phases, from strategy and masterplanning, to design conceptualisation and development, through to preparation of construction documentation and overseeing the delivery of projects during the construction phase.

Gemma brings design sensitivity, clarity and refinement to all projects whether large scale, complex masterplans, intricate spaces that knit into the urban fabric or natural environments. Recent projects have included the design and delivery of public parks, playgrounds, plazas, streetscapes and schools.

Gemma works collaboratively with public and private sector clients, project stakeholders, Iwi (Māori tribes) and community groups to deliver high quality outcomes on time and to budget.

Gemma’s particular interest in urban renewal projects is fuelled by her passion for communities. Gemma enjoys working closely with communities to create spaces that will be valued by those who use them for generations, leaving a rich legacy of sustainable and thoughtful design. Gemma utilises her skills as a facilitator to work in a collaborative manner to understand project requirements and the vision of the client, stakeholders and partners. It is this combination of technical, management and people skills that creates a point of difference and has enabled Gemma to successfully deliver positive outcomes in highly complex and political environments.