Giacomo Guzzon
Principal and Head of Planting Design
Giacomo, originally from Italy, joined Gillespies' London studio in 2014 after completing his Master's degree in Landscape Architecture. He is Head of Planting Design at Gillespies and a staunch advocate for using planting as an effective means to combat climate change and create atmosphere and character in urban environments. Giacomo's unparalleled expertise and deep passion for planting have established him as a distinguished and influential voice in the industry.
Giacomo is a skilful Principal Landscape Architect with extensive experience delivering landscape visions across an array of scales and sectors, including residential, commercial, leisure and education. His love and knowledge of planting design have resulted in him leading the creation of numerous planting schemes at Gillespies, as well as providing internal advice on projects. Notable projects include the multi-award-winning Elephant Park development in Elephant and Castle, the famous Sky Garden at 20 Fenchurch Street and the innovative Crossrail Place Roof Garden in Canary Wharf. On all three of these projects, Giacomo tested alternative ways of combining plants to create habitat-specific micro-climates and designed plant communities that suit the specific character and environment. He also continues to support the owners in evolving these planting schemes by providing maintenance guidance.
Alongside his design work, Giacomo leads Gillespies internal planting group, supporting the team in improving their knowledge and delivering schemes that will be resilient, beautiful, and beneficial to the environment. Giacomo has been a visiting lecturer for seven years at the University of Greenwich, where he teaches Advanced Planting Design to MA students in Landscape Architecture. Giacomo is also a regular contributor to landscape blogs and journals and a frequent presenter at international horticulture events and conferences. He is currently undertaking a PhD in 'Shrub selection for urban dry sites in times of global warming' at the Technical University of Berlin.
