insights Engineering better sustainable places for all
Ujwala, Regional Director, Landscape and Urban Design, Scotland & Northern Ireland
From large-scale strategic city planning and urban regeneration to town centres, schools, greenspaces, active travel and infrastructure design, our Landscape and Urban Design team create the places that matter.
“Recent significant events like COVID-19, declaration of climate, biodiversity and health emergencies and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events have highlighted the need to design sustainable places that make a positive impact on our environment, ecosystems and communities. Local authorities are now recognising the need for improved green spaces and active travel infrastructure that incorporate nature based solutions to build climate resilience, enhance biodiversity and aid mental and physical wellbeing”.
Having been with AtkinsRéalis for 15 years, Regional Director Ujwala Fernandes has seen the team’s project portfolio change every few years depending on government priorities and investment. Recently with liveable neighbourhoods and climate change adaptation hot on the agenda, the portfolio has evolved even further, providing a wide range of diverse opportunities for her team to make a difference.
“Currently there’s a lot of investment coming in from the Scottish Government and organisations like Sustrans and NatureScot towards regeneration of communities and town centres, provision of active travel infrastructure and climate adaptation. Landscape architects are at the forefront of a lot of these projects because our discipline cuts across multiple dimensions. It’s a fantastic time to be a landscape architect at AtkinsRéalis. We work across the whole spectrum to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our society today – there’s nothing we can’t do!”
While some landscape practices are small and niche and tend to work on a limited range and scale of projects, the AtkinsRéalis Landscape & Urban Design practice gives Ujwala the opportunity to switch between large-scale multidisciplinary schemes and smaller, more landscape design-focused projects.
“Although we often work in collaboration with wider environmental disciplines and our colleagues in Transportation on large-scale infrastructure projects, we also have our own identity as a Landscape and Urban Design team in AtkinsRéalis. We drive a lot of our own projects, and I love the diversity of challenges this gives us – I like being kept on my toes.”
One of the most challenging projects Ujwala has worked on so far is the Edinburgh Green Blue Network strategy – a holistic, integrated approach to climate change adaptation for the City of Edinburgh.
“We have a very good relationship with City of Edinburgh Council, and when the Scottish Government declared a state of climate emergency, we got together with our client to figure out how Edinburgh Council could deliver its commitment to achieve a carbon neutral status by 2030. That’s how the idea of developing a green blue infrastructure led blueprint for the city to drive sustainable development was born. Gradually the funding and support grew and grew, and now it’s a mega project – lots of stakeholders have strongly supported the project including SEPA, Scottish Water and NatureScot, and it was one of six projects in Scotland selected by the Scottish Government to be showcased on World Water Day 2021.”
One of the main aims of the Green Blue Network project is to identify opportunities to integrate nature-based solutions into the city of Edinburgh at a strategic and local scale. This is a particular passion for Ujwala, who is one of the national green blue infrastructure leads for AtkinsRéalis and an accredited Building with Nature assessor.
“Building with Nature is the UK’s first green infrastructure benchmark, and I wanted AtkinsRéalis to be at the forefront of this new approach that puts nature and green blue infrastructure at the heart of new developments for the benefit of people and wildlife. I got full support to do the training course, and I’m now working to get as many of our projects awarded with Building with Nature as possible. It’s a great way to raise our profile and shout out about all the brilliant work we do here.”
Join Ujwala in Engineering better.
Discover how at InsideAtkinsRéalis.
Interested? Find out more about life at AtkinsRéalis
Sign up to receive the latest content tailored to your interests
Our articles
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/12/2024
Summary
Career prospects in the aviation industry in the Middle East are promising at present with further growth expected in the coming years. Some prominent Dubai aviation engineering projects include
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/12/2024
Summary
The 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia and the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup are both set to take place in the bustling and evolving KSA. The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will mark th
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/10/2024
Summary
In the competitive landscape of career opportunities, it's essential to learn from industry insiders who have navigated the complexities of talent acquisition and recruitment. One such expert is
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/10/2024
Summary
In today's competitive business landscape, women's stories of success and leadership shine brightly, offering inspiration and guidance to others navigating similar paths. Sophie Nash is one such
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/08/2024
Summary
Project managers play a crucial role in orchestrating successful projects, and for those in the industry, learning from professionals like Henry Dustan can provide valuable insights. Henry Dusta
Preview
GeneralContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/04/2024
Summary
What are the three pillars of sustainability? When facing a challenge as mighty as sustainability, it's logical to break the topic into more manageable subtopics - like economic sustainability, envir
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/04/2024
Summary
At AtkinsRéalis, we are dedicated to shaping the future through innovative infrastructure projects that make a significant impact on communities around the world. We are excited to share the ex
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/04/2024
Summary
From starting as a Civil and Structural Engineering Apprentice to leading major projects at AtkinsRéalis, Ashley’s career journey is a testament to the power of passion, leadership, and contin
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/02/2024
Summary
Back in 2018, as few as 19.7% of women with Saudi citizenship were in employment or were actively looking to join the working world, according to The Brookings Institution. Due to ongoing shifts in
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
09/02/2024
Summary
Hello, my name is Bobby. After playing professional ice hockey in America and Europe I spent eight years as a Royal Navy submarine weapons and communications engineer. Towards the end of my su
Preview
AustraliaContent type
BlogsPublish date
08/30/2024
Summary
The Australian market is an important growth area for AtkinsRéalis. Over the last 26 years, we have established a strong presence with offices across Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne. AtkinsRéalis i
Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
08/30/2024
Summary
My rapid career progression and professional growth across engineering roles at AtkinsRéalis. Hello. I'm Ravikumar from AtkinsRéalis' Global Technology Centre (GTC) in India. As I write this, I'v
Related jobs
Salary
Location
West Midlands
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Human resources
Category
Fixed Term Contract
Location
West Midlands
London
Bristol
Description
Love creative thinking that drives company success?At AtkinsRéalis, a global leader in design, engineering, and project management, we're shaping the future of infrastructure and energy systems. Be pa
Reference
R-117743
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Lini RathinamAuthor
Lini RathinamSalary
Location
UK
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Construction
Category
Permanent
Location
United Kingdom
London
Description
We are currently recruiting for Telecoms Construction Manager to become a key member of the team and have competency to deliver and manage all aspects of Telecoms installations, technical assurance, c
Reference
R-120311
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Vinayak DaddiAuthor
Vinayak DaddiSalary
Location
Cheltenham
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Career Area
Consultant
Market
Security, aerospace & defence
Category
Permanent
Location
West Midlands
Cheltenham
London
Epsom
Bristol
Description
Embark on a rewarding journey as a Senior Management Consultant, shaping the future of transformative change at AtkinsRéalis.You might know us for the great work we do across our wide variety of proje
Reference
R-120232
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Lini RathinamAuthor
Lini RathinamSalary
Location
Whitehaven
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Career Area
Project controls
Market
Nuclear
Category
Permanent
Location
Whitehaven
Manchester
Description
We are looking for a Cost Engineer to work across our project teams in our client’s support offices.Flexible working options may be considered including part-time working or job-share arrangements.The
Reference
R-120349
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Shamily GopalAuthor
Shamily GopalSalary
Location
Cheltenham
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Career Area
Project controls
Market
Security, aerospace & defence
Category
Permanent
Location
Cheltenham
Manchester
London
Bristol
Description
Leading the edge of transformation.You might know us for the great work we do across our wide variety of projects. We're proud to say it's thanks to our people's diversity of thought, expertise, and k
Reference
R-120242
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Lini RathinamAuthor
Lini RathinamSalary
Location
Montréal
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Corporate communications
Market
Corporate
Category
Permanent
Location
London
Burnaby
Montréal
Description
Conseiller(ère) principal(e), Marque mondialeVous excellez dans un environnement dynamique et voulez faire partie d’une équipe chevronnée de communications mondiales et marketing qui collabore avec de
Reference
R-120241
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
Epsom
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Career Area
Project management
Category
Permanent
Location
Epsom
Description
The AtkinsRéalis UK Infrastructure Project Delivery Practice (PDP) is the centre of excellence for the delivery of infrastructure projects and the home unit for our project management staff.The team i
Reference
R-120198
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Ritwi ChatterjeeAuthor
Ritwi ChatterjeeSalary
Location
Epsom
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Project management
Category
Permanent
Location
Epsom
Description
The AtkinsRéalis Infrastructure Project Delivery Practice (PDP) is the centre of excellence for the delivery of infrastructure projects and combines the best in project management and design managemen
Reference
R-120197
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Ritwi ChatterjeeAuthor
Ritwi ChatterjeeSalary
Location
Raynesway
Job Type
Full Time
Career Area
Engineering (Other)
Category
Permanent
Location
Manchester
Epsom
Bristol
Description
Chief Process Engineer – Major ProjectsAtkinsRéalis Nuclear and Power has built a market leading position in technically challenging projects in low carbon nuclear energy. We are growing strongly in f
Reference
R-120158
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Location
London
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Career Area
Project controls
Market
Project, programme & cost management
Category
Permanent
Location
London
Description
We’re AtkinsRéalis, a world-leading design, engineering, and project management organization. We connect people, data, and technology to transform the world’s infrastructure and energy systems.Our Pro
Reference
R-120114
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Author
Prashant HaverishettarAuthor
Prashant HaverishettarAtkinsRéalis
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We’re devoted to growing the diversity of our people, promoting an inclusive culture, providing everyone with an equal voice because simply put, it’s the right thing to do. Click to learn more.
Find out more