Djao-Rakitine is a landscape architecture practice founded in 2015, based in Paris since 2018 and formerly in London. The studio works on high-profile cultural, educational, commercial and residential projects worldwide.

Our portfolio includes high quality public realm projects in dense historic urban environments such as the redevelopment of “rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré” in Paris and Duke street in London, Khokhlovskaya Square in Moscow, prestigious destinations such as Adidas Arena in Paris, and high quality contemporary and ecological landscapes within heritage sites such as IX Innovation Campus in Saint-Germain en Laye.

Our creative approach reveals each site’s distinctive qualities and develops its potential to create welcoming, rich and sustainable environments. Climate change mitigation, rainwater management and biodiversity enhancement are at the heart of our work.

Alongside our design practice, we research the evolution of urban landscapes and climate adaptation in cities such as Paris and London.

Working closely with ecologists, engineers, urbanists and architects, we bring an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to the growing environmental and social challenges facing our cities.

Scope of work:

Streetscape, Plaza, Square, Roof Garden, Garden, Park, Landscape Garden, Campus Park, Master Plan & Landscape Strategy, Planting Strategy, Biodiversity Improvement, Suds, Water Feature, Outdoor Furniture and Maintenance Plan.

Irène Djao-Rakitine

Director at Djao-Rakitine Landscape Architecture

Landscape Architect DPLG

Chartered member of the Landscape Institute

Irène graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Appliqués et des Métiers d’Art in Paris (2001) and the École Nationale Supérieure de Paysage in Versailles, where she qualified as a landscape architect with a DPLG diploma (2005). She is also a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute in the United Kingdom.

Before founding her practice in February 2015, she was Director of Vogt’s London office (2009–2015). Previously, she worked as a project leader and subsequently Head of Landscape at Ateliers Jean Nouvel in Paris (2006–2009), following a role as a landscape architect at Co-Be, a multidisciplinary architecture, urban design and landscape practice, in 2005.

Her collaboration with Jean Nouvel gave her extensive experience in France and internationally, through projects including the Philharmonie de Paris, the Musée du Quai Branly, residential developments in Bordeaux, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Ferrari assembly plant in Modena and the landscape of Richemont International’s headquarters in Geneva.

As Director of Vogt’s London office, Irène led the design and delivery of the public realm for the Athletes’ Village for the London 2012 Olympic Games. She also contributed to the landscape strategy for the Olympic Park for the London Legacy Development Corporation. Other projects she developed at Vogt include the public realm at Tate Modern in London, with Herzog & de Meuron; a residential island in the harbour of Vejle, Denmark, with Studio Olafur Eliasson; Droogdokkenpark in Antwerp; and the landscape for Veolia’s headquarters in Paris, with architect Dietmar Feichtinger.

Since founding her practice in 2015, Irène has continued to develop public realm projects in dense urban settings with a rich architectural heritage, including the transformation of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, Duke Street in London and Khokhlovskaya Square in Moscow. She also works on major destinations such as the Adidas Arena in Paris and designs contemporary, ecologically focused landscapes within sensitive heritage sites. These include iXcampus in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the landscape for the Lah contemporary art museum in Bled, Slovenia, designed by David Chipperfield, for which she also developed a sculpture park proposal.

Irène served as an external expert on the Mayor of London’s planning review panel from 2013 to 2016 and was a researcher at the Institute of Landscape at ETH Zurich in 2015–2016.

From 2017 to 2025, she advised the Mayor of London on public realm matters in support of the London Plan. She also served on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s Quality Panel from 2020 to 2024.

Current and former team members

Mariel Drego, Federica Terenzi, Amélia Chevée, Marzia Vanzati, Marie Saalburg, Joanna Ederyd, Jitka Benesova, Hortense Blanchard, Chun Wing Fok, Valmore Rojas, Charles Dujardin, Povilas Marozas, Bessie Lemann, Lisa Chirra, Théophile Mas, Stéphanie Lefebvre, Laure Bertrand.

Collaborations

6a (UK), ACME (UK), Alexander Brodsky (Russia), Andrew Phillips (UK), Architecture + Aménagement (Luxembourg), Atelier Krauss Architecture (FR), Baumschlager Eberle Architects (FR), Berger & Berger (FR), Bruto (Slovenia), Burckhardt+Partner (Switzerland), Carmody Groarke (UK), Caruso St John Architects (UK), Cobe (FR), Consequence Forma (Czech Republic), David Chipperfield Architects (UK), l’AUC (FR), Meyer Fey (Germany), NAME Architecture (FR/UK), Nicolas Dorval Bory Architects (FR), NP2F (FR), RDAI (FR), SAME (FR), SCAU architecture (FR), Stanton Williams (UK), Studio VT (Switzerland), Tolila+Gilliland Architects (FR), Van Belle & Medina Architects (Belgium), Wilmotte & Partners (FR), Urban Water (FR), Fresh Architecture (FR).

Clients

Altarea Cogedim, Bouygues, Clients privés, Comité du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Continental Development Corp., Edouard Denis, Fond du Logement (Lux.), ICADE, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science, Lend Lease, London Councils, Sellar+, Selfridges, Strelka, Ville de Paris, Yvelines Department, Zhejiang Medicine.

Support

We strongly support the Francis Hallé project to create a primary forest in Western Europe.

Publications

2020:

“L’Arena Porte de la Chapelle dévoilée!…Objectif? S’ouvrir aux habitants du quartier.” by Maryse Quinton in IDEAT.

“Paris 2024 : voici les premières images de la future Arena 2” by J.L., in Le Parisien

“Paris 2024: L’anti-spectacle de Scau et NP2F pour la future arena de Paris” by Margaux Darrieus, in AMC.

“Hyper écolo, la nouvelle Arena comptera 6000 m2 de toiture végétalisée et une terrasse verdurée de 1700 m2.” by Sarah Leris, in Le Bonbon.

2019:

“Creating a Moscow agora” by Daria Paramonov, in Topos

“Khokhlovskaya Square” in the magazine Landscape Architecture Korea.

“Khokhlovskaya Square” in the magazine Mooool.

“A Fairytale Woodland by the Lake” in the magazine Mooool.

2018: