Biography

Born and raised in Canada, from the empty prairies of Saskatchewan to muggy Ontario and snowy Quebec. A strong interest in landscape and nature must have been fostered unconsciously by the myth of the Canadian wilds, though he resisted attempts to help his parents with the gardening. His first summer job working on a farm put him off agriculture as a career path, but he enjoyed driving the tractor and pickup truck at 14. After a first degree in economics and sociology, a brief stint as a deckhand on a yacht in the Mediterranean and backpacking across Europe, Marc found himself supplementing his meagre income in England by putting some of his latent plant and garden knowledge to use. Better paid than bar work and slightly healthier, it seemed a path worth pursuing, so long as he got a professional qualification so he could avoid lifting bags of rubble himself.

Work

After completing his studies at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, he worked on large-scale corporate projects for Gillespies’ offices in London and Oxford such as Glaxo Wellcome research headquarters, Legoland Windsor and environmental assessments and masterplanning for a proposed UK leisure development by Warner Brothers.

He then collaborated on award-winning design-build landscape projects for the practice of Bowes & Wyer in London and the Home Counties, including Rose Square in Knightsbridge, Earl’s Terrace in Kensington and The Pavilion in St John’s Wood. In 2000, Marc set up as a freelance landscape architect, becoming MDL Environmental Ltd in 2003.

Recent projects include:

• historic garden restoration for Islington Council, with funding secured from the Heritage Lottery Fund (Civic Trust award 2002)
• modernist garden for private clients in Suffolk
• master plan and detail design for low-maintenance communal gardens built over the former car park roofdeck of a north London housing estate.

He is currently working on residential projects for clients in London, Dorset and south-west France.