elemental – the green design tool
elemental is the green design tool created to help embed nature, sustainability and wellbeing at the heart of every project. Developed to support better decision‑making from the earliest stages of design, elemental provides a clear, practical framework for delivering high‑quality, environmentally responsible places.
The tool was originally created by Liz Nicholson, drawing on Nicholsons’ long‑standing experience in landscape, placemaking and sustainable development. It has since been developed collaboratively with leading industry bodies including the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Landscape Institute (LI), British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), Society of Garden + Landscape Designers (SGLD), Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).
Designed to be intuitive and adaptable, elemental helps clients and design teams align projects with best practice in green infrastructure, biodiversity, climate resilience and social value. By bringing together expertise from across the landscape and horticultural professions, elemental supports a shared ambition: to create greener, healthier and more sustainable places for people and nature to thrive.
elemental – the green design tool
elemental is the green design tool created to help embed nature, sustainability and wellbeing at the heart of every project. Developed to support better decision‑making from the earliest stages of design, elemental provides a clear, practical framework for delivering high‑quality, environmentally responsible places.
The tool was originally created by Liz Nicholson, drawing on Nicholsons’ long‑standing experience in landscape, placemaking and sustainable development. It has since been developed collaboratively with leading industry bodies including the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Landscape Institute (LI), British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI), Society of Garden + Landscape Designers (SGLD), Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA).
Designed to be intuitive and adaptable, elemental helps clients and design teams align projects with best practice in green infrastructure, biodiversity, climate resilience and social value. By bringing together expertise from across the landscape and horticultural professions, elemental supports a shared ambition: to create greener, healthier and more sustainable places for people and nature to thrive.
The Six Pillars of elemental
The elemental team developed the Six Pillars of elemental to reflect the complexity of the environments and decisions shaping today’s landscapes. Together, the pillars provide a robust yet flexible structure for understanding how design choices influence people, place and nature.
The pillars are intentionally interconnected, allowing users to clearly justify decisions made in one area that may affect outcomes in another. This joined‑up approach supports balanced, informed green design, recognising that sustainability, wellbeing, biodiversity and placemaking do not operate in isolation.
elemental is designed to be easy to navigate and accessible to all, requiring no specialist knowledge. All guidance is built directly into the tool, with clear supporting notes alongside each question and access to a more detailed Knowledge Base that provides deeper insight and best‑practice context. This ensures users have the confidence and clarity needed to make informed, sustainable design decisions at every stage of a project.
Materials management
Responsible materials management is fundamental to successful landscape construction, shaping environmental impact, long‑term performance and whole‑life value while reducing waste and maintenance, and enhancing durability, safety and aesthetic quality.
Soils
Soils are a fundamental yet often overlooked element of landscape construction, underpinning plant health, drainage, carbon storage and long‑term performance, with careful assessment and management helping to protect this finite resource and ensure landscapes establish and function as intended.
Water and air
Water flow and air movement are essential considerations at every landscape scale, with thoughtful design helping to conserve water, improve drainage, enhance air quality and create healthier environments for people and wildlife.
Biodiversity
Landscape design plays a crucial role in shaping ecological outcomes, with well‑considered design and management helping to protect existing habitats, support living ecosystems and deliver meaningful, long‑term biodiversity benefits at any scale.
People and place
Well‑designed landscapes do more than shape places, supporting healthier bodies, calmer minds and stronger communities by reducing stress, encouraging movement and improving quality of life through meaningful connections with nature.
Carbon balance
The construction sector, including the landscape industry, is one of the highest contributors to carbon emissions, yet it also presents a significant opportunity to sequester carbon through effective planning, resilient planting and responsible materials selection.
The elemental team developed the Six Pillars of elemental to reflect the complexity of the environments and decisions shaping today’s landscapes. Together, the pillars provide a robust yet flexible structure for understanding how design choices influence people, place and nature.
The pillars are intentionally interconnected, allowing users to clearly justify decisions made in one area that may affect outcomes in another. This joined‑up approach supports balanced, informed green design, recognising that sustainability, wellbeing, biodiversity and placemaking do not operate in isolation.
elemental is designed to be easy to navigate and accessible to all, requiring no specialist knowledge. All guidance is built directly into the tool, with clear supporting notes alongside each question and access to a more detailed Knowledge Base that provides deeper insight and best‑practice context. This ensures users have the confidence and clarity needed to make informed, sustainable design decisions at every stage of a project.
The Six Pillars of elemental
Materials management
Responsible materials management is fundamental to successful landscape construction, shaping environmental impact, long‑term performance and whole‑life value while reducing waste and maintenance, and enhancing durability, safety and aesthetic quality.
Soils are a fundamental yet often overlooked element of landscape construction, underpinning plant health, drainage, carbon storage and long‑term performance, with careful assessment and management helping to protect this finite resource and ensure landscapes establish and function as intended.
Soils
Water flow and air movement are essential considerations at every landscape scale, with thoughtful design helping to conserve water, improve drainage, enhance air quality and create healthier environments for people and wildlife.
Water and air
Landscape design plays a crucial role in shaping ecological outcomes, with well‑considered design and management helping to protect existing habitats, support living ecosystems and deliver meaningful, long‑term biodiversity benefits at any scale.
Biodiversity
Well‑designed landscapes do more than shape places, supporting healthier bodies, calmer minds and stronger communities by reducing stress, encouraging movement and improving quality of life through meaningful connections with nature.
People and place
The construction sector, including the landscape industry, is one of the highest contributors to carbon emissions, yet it also presents a significant opportunity to sequester carbon through effective planning, resilient planting and responsible materials selection.
Carbon balance
Find out more about elemental
elemental is a climate‑conscious design tool that helps you assess and improve the sustainability of your project. It guides users through questions on biodiversity, species resilience, emissions and material choices, generating a sustainability report you can update at any stage of the design process.
Find out more about elemental
elemental is a climate‑conscious design tool that helps you assess and improve the sustainability of your project. It guides users through questions on biodiversity, species resilience, emissions and material choices, generating a sustainability report you can update at any stage of the design process.
