Designing Resilient Landscapes for People and Planet
TerraForma Vision creates landscape designs and outdoor spaces that balance aesthetic intent with ecological function. Our practice approaches each site as a living system—an opportunity to enhance biodiversity, manage water intelligently, and craft memorable human experiences. We blend native planting palettes, soil regeneration techniques, and low-impact construction to deliver gardens, parks, and site interventions that require less maintenance over time while offering more seasonal interest and wildlife value. From small urban courtyards to estate masterplans and public realm projects, our team brings landscape architecture, horticultural science, and practical installation experience together to realize sites that feel both designed and naturally belonging.
Our process emphasizes listening and iterative design: we begin with site analysis—soil and hydrology assessment, microclimate mapping, and existing vegetation inventories—then explore multiple concept directions with layered diagrams and three-dimensional sketches. Clients receive clear documentation, planting palettes with bloom and maintenance calendars, and phased implementation plans that align with budget and seasonal constraints. We avoid one-size-fits-all solutions by tailoring plant communities and material choices to each context so that the finished landscape reflects place and purpose rather than a transient trend.
TerraForma Vision is committed to regenerative practices. Soil health is prioritized through compost amendments, biochar integration where appropriate, and minimal tillage to preserve soil structure. Irrigation systems are designed for efficiency—drip lines, soil moisture sensors, and smart controllers reduce water use while maintaining plant health. Hardscape choices favor permeable surfaces and recycled materials to reduce runoff and embodied carbon. When clients seek carbon sequestration or biodiversity gains, our plans include canopy and understory strategies and habitat features—log piles, native flowering meadows, and pollinator corridors—that support local ecology and create dynamic, changing landscapes across seasons.
About TerraForma Vision
TerraForma Vision was founded by landscape architects, ecologists, and craftspeople who saw an opportunity to align high-quality design with long-term ecological stewardship. Our team has diverse experience across municipal parks, private estates, commercial campuses, and habitat restoration. We place a premium on technical rigour—detailed grading plans, horticultural schedules, and planting specifications are paired with on-site supervision to ensure design intent translates faithfully into built outcomes. We collaborate with engineers, contractors, and local specialists to solve site-specific challenges like compaction, salt exposure, or stormwater constraints, ensuring that beautiful proposals are also buildable and maintainable.
Community engagement is central to our larger projects. We facilitate workshops and design charrettes to gather input, and we produce accessible materials that explain our ecological strategies and maintenance implications. In doing so, we help local stakeholders feel ownership over landscape outcomes—improving long-term stewardship and reducing conflicts during implementation and operation.
Our portfolio demonstrates a commitment to tempered, place-based design: projects that incorporate seasonal structure, edible plantings where appropriate, integrated seating and lighting, and materials chosen for durability and tactile warmth. For clients seeking turnkey services, we manage procurement, installation, and initial maintenance handover to ensure a smooth transition from construction to long-term care.
Why Clients Choose TerraForma Vision
Design-Led Ecological Gains
Our design process intentionally integrates ecological functions—soil rebuilding, habitat connectivity, and water management—into the aesthetics. This ensures that landscapes deliver measurable environmental benefits in addition to visual delight. Projects often include native meadow areas, rain gardens, and microhabitat clusters that amplify biodiversity and provide seasonal interest for owners and visitors.
Technical Excellence & Buildability
Detailed construction documentation makes our designs robust and executable. We supply specification packs, planting schedules, and QA checklists for contractors. On complex sites we provide staged implementation plans that reduce contractor risk and allow for contingency management—helping keep projects on time and within budget.
Long-Term Stewardship
Designs are created with maintenance realities in mind: we propose planting palettes and engineering solutions that scale with the intended maintenance budget and advise on adaptive management strategies. Our maintenance handover includes a seasonal calendar and practical training for grounds staff so the original design intent endures.
Collaborative Project Management: A single point of contact coordinates consultants, contractors, and suppliers from concept through warranty period, reducing miscommunication and streamlining decisions. Our project managers are experienced in permitting, municipal coordination, and logistical planning for deliveries and site staging.
Sustainable Material Choices: We prioritize locally sourced stone, recycled aggregates, and low-VOC finishes. This reduces embodied carbon and often shortens lead times for material delivery. Where appropriate we recommend permeable paving, living walls, and green roofs to enhance site resilience and reduce urban heat island effects.
Services
Concept & Master Planning
We produce concept plans that articulate spatial organization, planting structure, and circulation patterns, bridging the gap between architecture and landscape. Masterplans include phased delivery options and a high-level cost estimate so clients can prioritize interventions that offer the greatest ecological and experiential returns.
Concept work is collaboratively developed with stakeholders—clients, neighbors, and agencies—to ensure alignment before moving into technical design. Visual tactics like massing diagrams, section drawings, and photomontages help communicate intent clearly to non-technical audiences.
Planting Design & Horticultural Specification
We craft plant palettes based on site conditions, maintenance goals, and desired seasonal dynamics. Specifications include quantities, plant sizes, and supplier notes to ensure consistent procurement. Our planting plans emphasize layered structure—canopy, understory, shrub, and herbaceous layers—that support biodiversity and create resilient, attractive compositions.
Where edible landscapes are desired, we integrate productive species with ornamental planting to balance aesthetics with yield and maintenance considerations.
Grading, Drainage & Stormwater Management
Earthworks are modeled to manage surface water through swales, rain gardens, and detention features that reduce downstream impacts. Our drainage strategies combine hardscape grading with soil permeability enhancement, ensuring that the site performs during heavy rainfall while supporting plant health in drier seasons.
Construction Documentation & Site Supervision
Comprehensive drawings and specifications allow contractors to execute with confidence. We offer site supervision during key installation phases to verify planting depths, soil mixes, and hardscape tolerances. Supervision reduces errors and preserves design intent into the finished landscape.
Maintenance Planning & Training
We develop tailored maintenance plans that include seasonal tasks, pruning regimes, and soil fertility schedules. Training workshops for maintenance staff cover plant ID, watering strategies, and early detection of pests and diseases to keep landscapes healthy and reduce long-term costs.
Ecological Restoration & Habitat Creation
For degraded sites we develop restoration programs that rebuild soil, reintroduce native species, and create structural habitat features. Restoration is phased to match funding and ecological thresholds, often starting with soil remediation, erosion control, and pioneer plantings that prepare the site for longer-term succession planting.
Contact
Get in touch to discuss your garden vision, landscape projects, or maintenance plans. Our design team is here to transform outdoor spaces beautifully and sustainably.
Email: terraform@icloud.com
Address: R. das Carmelitas 144, 4050-161 Porto, Portugal