Janet Jack graduated from the AA in 1957 following which she worked as an architect in both the UK and in the USA before turning to a career in Landscape Architecture in 1963. At that time Landscape Architecture was in its infancy as a profession. Janet worked in the mid-sixties for Sylvia Crowe, one of the few nationally recognised Landscape Architects, whilst studying, and graduated in 1971. She immediately set up her own practice and worked continuously in the profession, nationally and internationally, until she retired in 2007. Her architectural training at the AA and her office experience as an architect were fundamental in shaping her approach to designing the settings for buildings, and other types of landscape projects. Another prime influence was Danish landscape, and particularly the work of Professor Sorenson in Copenhagen, and she visited Denmark several times throughout her career to study their work.
In the 1970’s Janet Jack designed a number of projects, both large and small, mainly for architects she knew from the AA who were her friends. The largest of these projects was the three acre public park in the centre of a large social housing development at Alexandra Road, near Swiss Cottage, designed by Neave Brown for Camden Council. Both the architectural project and the park have subsequently been listed by English Heritage. By the end of the 1970’s Janet had become a nationally recognised top landscape architect in the UK.
During the 1980’s she merged her practice into Building Design Partnership, a large architectural practice which included other professional disciplines, but not landscape. Janet Jack was asked to create and lead a new landscape architectural division within the practice, which she did very successfully, and during that decade she designed many significant projects. These included the landscape for the Channel Tunnel Terminal at Folkstone, where the landscape design was very important as the site was in an area designated as of ‘outstanding natural beauty’. Another major project was an acre garden over Canon Street station.
Having attained the objective of setting up, a major national and international landscape practice in BDP she retired in 1991 and re-established her own practice, which enabled her to concentrate on her own projects. Some of these were for her AA friends. The Tate Britain gardens, including those around the Turner extension designed by Sir James Stirling, the gardens around the library extension at Jesus College, Cambridge and the Truro Crown Courts with Evans and Shalev. She also won a competition for the redesign the historic Foundation Court for the Middle Temple, a teaching roof garden on the top of the James Cass School in the City of London, and a consultancy for the Henry Moore Foundation at Much Hadham with Dixon Jones, also friends from the AA. One of her more exotic projects was a very large internal atrium landscape for the Mayor of Moscow for a new Cultural Centre.
Janet Jack was orphaned at 16 when her parents were killed in a road accident, and she had to cope independently with seeing herself through her final school years, and her five years of study at the AA. She often referred as the AA giving her wonderful support at this time and she regarded her friends there as extended family, some of whom have been life-long friends. She returned to the AA later to study historic garden conservation.
Janet became a very well-known and highly regarded national and international Landscape Architect. She was a quiet, but strong person, and highly creative in everything she did. She died of cancer, having fought the disease for over four years. Her legacy is many beautiful landscape projects which will bring joy to countless people.
Obituary provided by William Jack.
