Meet The Team
We place an emphasis on people – our colleagues, our clients, and those we collaborate with. Working together we develop projects that respond to the needs of people, planet, and the wider communities in which they are situated.
Adam Ash
Managing Director and Sector Lead (Midlands/North) | BSc (Hons), DipLA, CMLI
Responsible for the overall management and direction of the company, Adam also leads the Manchester studio team ensuring a high standard of design is balanced with deliverable solutions and robust risk management. Part of the Plincke team since 2008, he brings 25 years of experience in designing and delivering high-quality sustainable spaces, across both private and public sectors.
His vast knowledge spans streetscape, civic squares, historic spaces parks and gardens, higher education campuses and colleges and schools, including SEND.
A master at working with design teams to meet client requirements and devising complex design solutions to meet multiple end user needs, Adam also has a strong understanding of the management of client and stakeholder expectations to deliver sustainable, robust, and affordable solutions within the external environment.
Known for clear communication, rigorous attention to detail and quality, he
delivers projects successfully utilising proven project management skills, acting as lead consultant and contract administrator for landscape projects up to a value of £6M.
He has also had great pleasure in successfully mentoring junior staff on the Landscape Institute ‘Pathway to Chartership’.
Gavin Woolston
Sector Lead-South | BA (Hons), MA, CMLI
Gavin leads our London studio, successfully managing a wide range of projects from inception through to construction delivery. He joined Plincke in 2018 bringing with him 15 years of experience from UK and North African projects.
Gavin combines strong design development with creative flair and expert presentation skills. He designs thoughtful and functional landscapes for a range of settings, from cemeteries (including the the award-winning Hemel Hemstead cemetery) and new build urban developments to educational landscapes.
Addressing specific site constraints such as landscape screening, the use of
recycled/reclaimed materials and vertical greening, Gavin is skilled in Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments, biodiversity net gain and the Urban Greening Factor to make sure his projects meet sustainability and environmental goals.
Stuart Ross
Managing Director and Education Sector Lead (Midlands/North) | BSc (Hons), DipLA, CMLI
Stuart has 16-years’ experience and is dual qualified in architecture and landscape design. He leads our BIM team and is responsible for developing our revit modelling capability. Additionally, Stuart has led on many of our high-profile public realm and campus projects with a particular emphasis on multi-disciplinary team working.
Stuart’s technical ability, in both 2 and 3D mediums, means he is ideally suited to lead on large scale hard and soft landscape projects requiring close attention to detail and coordination across disciplines.
Sam Scholes
Landscape Architect / BA (Hons), MA Water Management & Biodiversity, DipLA, AMLI
Sam has an expertise in blue-green infrastructure and biodiversity that stems from a 2-year MA focusing on flood water management and aquatic ecologies. He has led on our projects involving SUDs and watercourse restoration, demonstrating alternative approaches to the traditional engineered methods to tackle flood risk.
Sam joined the practice in 2014 and provides design and technical support to the Urban Parks and Education teams. He has developed a number of Round 1 and 2 lottery applications for park projects, including interpretation strategies.
Emily Jones
Education Landscape Architect | MA, DipLA
Emily has built her landscape architecture career around a diverse portfolio focused on children, families, nature, and landscape. With valuable Qualified Teacher and Early Years Professional Status, alongside Forest School Leadership skills, she brings practical insights to design, grounded within the education and play sectors.
As an accredited professional with Learning Through Landscapes, Emily is committed to creating designs that mitigate the impacts of climate change on the environment.
She strives to include nature into education and play landscapes. Emily has continued to build her landscape architecture practice at Plincke with key roles on primary and secondary school projects.