Madeleine Leake

I first came to DSA Environment & Design in 2024 as part of a ‘Workplace Insights’ internship organised with the University of Sheffield (UoS) during the second year of my BA in Landscape Architecture. I continued here part-time throughout my university study and have completed my ‘year out’ at DSA as part of my MLA at UoS. I am a Student Ambassador for the Landscape Department at UoS, so I often run taster sessions and present at University Open Days, to promote both the course and profession to future students.

I have had the opportunity to work across a variety of landscape planning and design projects and have developed a considerable interest in the use of hand-drawn graphics, to explore project design conceptually and communicate design proposals in a
manner that is exceptional and carries impact. Recently, I have developed the practice’s knowledge on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) by producing visual representations of the numerical values for each habitat type within the statutory metric. The graphical outputs inform the advice we provide to address the challenges of BNG in our projects.

Alongside my role at DSA, I work as a volunteer for the Friends of the Bennerley Viaduct, assisting at fundraising events and producing video content, to support and promote this charming local landmark!