Fiona Macallister
Senior Landscape Designer | Chartered Landscape Architect (CMLI)
Edinburgh
Professional Summary
Chartered Senior Landscape Designer with extensive experience delivering complex urban public realm, commercial, and residential projects across Scotland.
Recognized for robust masterplanning, innovative sustainable drainage strategies, and rigorous technical detailing from initial concept through on-site execution.
Professional Experience
Cairncrest Environmental Design
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Senior Landscape Designer
Mar 2020 – Present
- Lead landscape design development and technical delivery for mixed-use public realm schemes, residential developments, and commercial campus grounds across Scotland.
- Direct preparation of planning submissions, Landscape and Visual Impact Assessments (LVIA), and detailed construction drawing packages compliant with Scottish planning policy and SuDS standards.
- Coordinate multi-disciplinary consultant teams, including civil engineers, ecologists, and tree officers, resolving complex ground levels, grading, and drainage integrations.
- Manage client presentations, stakeholder consultations, and local planning authority liaison through every phase from concept through site inspection.
Talla Landscape Studio
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Landscape Designer
Aug 2015 – Feb 2020
- Delivered detailed landscape masterplans, hard landscape detailing, and native planting schedules for education and civic infrastructure schemes.
- Supervised junior landscape assistants in BIM and 3D terrain modeling workflows, improving practice drawing production turnaround by 25%.
- Conducted site compliance inspections and contract administration under standard JCLI contracts, ensuring contractor adherence to arboricultural and planting specifications.
Pentland Living Environments
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Graduate Landscape Architect
Sept 2013 – Jul 2015
- Supported senior designers on residential masterplans, producing concept sketches, planting layouts, and outline schedule of quantities.
- Assisted in preparing planning condition discharge packages and tree protection plans in accordance with BS 5837.
Education
Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh
Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) · Landscape Architecture · Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Distinction · Sept 2011 – Jun 2013
Completed comprehensive studio research into sustainable drainage systems and climate-adaptive public realms in northern temperate urban contexts.
Newcastle University
Bachelor of Arts (Hons) · Architectural Studies · Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom · First Class Honours · Sept 2008 – Jun 2011
Focused on urban spatial theory, site analysis, hand drawing, and contextual design integration across urban brownfield sites.
Selected Design Projects
St Margaret's Community Park and Rain Garden Masterplan
Sept 2022 – Apr 2024
- Designed and coordinated a 1.8-hectare community public realm rejuvenation featuring permeable surfaces, rain gardens, and biodiverse herbaceous borders.
- Achieved unanimous local planning approval and integrated bespoke timber seating installations constructed from salvaged local windblown timber.
Inverleith Waterside Residential Realm
Jun 2020 – Nov 2021
- Formulated a high-density urban residential landscape scheme incorporating stepped terrace plantings, green roofs, and communal courtyard amenity spaces.
- Delivered a 100% compliant sustainable urban drainage network design, mitigating surface water runoff risks under extreme rainfall events.
Core Competencies
Urban Masterplanning
Public Realm Design
Detailed Planting Design
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS)
Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA)
Hard Landscape Detailing
AutoCAD
Vectorworks Landmark
Keyscapes
Arboricultural Integration (BS 5837)
JCLI Contract Administration
Languages
English
C2
French
B1
Professional Qualifications & Accreditations
Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute (CMLI)
Landscape Institute · Nov 2016
CSCS Professionally Qualified Person Card
Construction Skills Certification Scheme · May 2023
Voluntary & Civic Work
Friends of the Water of Leith Basin
Edinburgh, United Kingdom · Apr 2019 – Present
- Voluntary Technical Advisor
- Facilitate tree planting events, community consultation days, and educational site walks explaining native woodland restoration in urban edge settings.
- Provide pro bono advice on native shrub species selection and natural path stabilization.