Clayden, Andy

PERSONAL:

Education: University of Wales, B.S., 1986; University of Sheffield, M.A., 1992.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Sheffield, England. Office—Department of Landscape, Fl. 3, Arts Tower, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, England. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Has worked as a landscape designer in London, England; as a research assistant for GIS and landscape planning; and as a consultant for Environmental Consultancy University Sheffield; University of Sheffield, Sheffield, England, lecturer in landscaping, 1994—.

WRITINGS:

(With Nigel Dunnett) Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape, Timber Press (Portland, OR), 2007.

(With Nigel Dunnett and Carl Smith) Residential Landscape Sustainability, Blackwell (Malden, MA), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Andy Clayden is a writer, educator, and garden designer. Educated first at the University of Wales and then at the University of Sheffield, both in England, he has since worked at various jobs relating to gardens and landscape architecture. Among his employers was a design-build landscape firm in London, England where he gained practical knowledge and a solid foundation in the techniques used to design a garden prior to earning his master's degree in landscape architecture. He later worked as a research assistant and eventually joined the faculty at the University of Sheffield as a lecturer. As a result, he splits his time between the classroom, where he teaches both undergraduate and graduate level courses in landscape architecture and design and the studio aspects of the design process, and his practical interests in the field, which include physical landscape design and research. Clayden's research interests range from achieving sustainability in both housing design and the materials utilized in landscaping, to the use of digital technology in the field, and to the design of cemeteries.

Clayden is also the author of Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape, which he wrote with Nigel Dunnett, and Residential Landscape Sustainability, a collaboration with Dunnett and Carl Smith. Rain Gardens addresses the issue of the ever-growing need for water. The book discusses ways in which rain and snowfall can be tracked, collected, and applied to both home and commercial use. The authors describe how to design a rain garden that takes these details into account, including what plants are most suitable for specific geographical regions. Recommendations range from simple ways to catch run-off in a basin to more elaborate garden sheds and ponds. PBS contributor Kip Anderson observed: "Although water conservation may seem a matter more suited to large-scale planning in towns and cities and in the countryside, the focus of Rain Gardens is on small-scale actions at an individual level." Carol Haggas noted in Booklist that the authors provide data on "the various methods of creating rain-gardening systems in clear, precise, and enthusiastic language." Ellison G. Weist, reviewing the book for the Southwest Community Connection, stated that "if this [subject matter] sounds a bit dull and academic, never fear. Dunnett and Clayden punctuate approachable text with a bevy of lovely photographs that capture the beauty and advantages of rain gardens."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 2007, Carol Haggas, review of Rain Gardens: Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape, p. 11.

ONLINE

PBS Web site,http://www.pbs.org/ (January 17, 2008), Kip Anderson, review of Rain Gardens.

Seattle Times Online,http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ (January 17, 2008), Valerie Easton, "The Fall Crop: Good Reads on Everything from Rain Gardens to Reliables."

Southwest Community Connection,http://www.swcommconnection.com/ (August 14, 2007), Ellison G. Weist, "A Rain Garden Pours on Beauty: Book Shows the Many Ways to Put Liquid Sunshine to Work."

University of Sheffield, Department of Landscape Web site,http://www.shef.ac.uk/landscape/ (January 17, 2008), faculty profile of Andy Clayden.