What we do (& how & why we do it)

Sustainability is not a buzz word.

It’s what we do - guided by what is fair and just - to create a better world for children and all others.

We make things - landscapes, gardens, tree houses, fences, artists’ studios, greenhouses, magical things - primarily from second-use materials. Timber, stone, metal, earth. Whatever is suitable, close-at-hand, available, sourced from house demos, building trades, discards, skips, leftovers, spotted often by friends.

We repudiate the waste of a disposable economy; its landfill, excessive packaging, selfishness, greed.

We respect the embodied energy in and beauty of an old steam-pressed brick. Or salvaged hardwood floorboards. Or copper pipe. Or a galvanised coach screw, pulled from a reused red gum post (Eucalyptus camaldulensis).  

Some things are a given.

First site inspections are done always by bicycle. It sets an example.

We don’t use particle board (toxic glues), nor purchase newly-imported rainforest timbers. (But are very willing to use used Merbau).  

We work with schools, kindergartens, community groups, but also for private clients on select jobs. Backyards and front, and side paths. We specialise in intimate spaces, charismatic solutions. We collaborate, invite others to join in, to help.

We love plants. Their shape, texture, colour, the shade they spread, perfume they emit. We especially love edible plants. And fruit trees. And succulents.

We encourage water harvesting, swale gardens, habitats, worm farms, wicking bed kitchen gardens, scarecrows. We love the smell of compost in the morning.

We don’t use leaf blowers. What? I can’t hear you!.

We rake, mulch, rub oils on timber, plant when the moon is new and rising.  

We design from the ground-up, with our hearts, eyes, ears, spirits, all open.

Solutions are specific to each site. We treat each material with respect. All that we do must be functional, honest, beautiful, witty, and respectful – of the environment, for the welfare of others.

A garden can be a work of art.

We want our creations to inspire, calm, amuse, arouse inquisitiveness - to add to the well-being of each community they serve.

You’ve got this far. This next bit is about our methodology. (Spoiler alert: it’s a bit different).

Work with us and expect utmost care and respect; from the process of engagement to the completed job.

We build stuff, but we also build partnerships based on ideas and mutual respect.

We think outside the box, unless the box is the best way of thinking. Hold us to our values, which include:

• Design ‘from-the-ground up’, giving children agency to help shape their space. Involve them, empower them - and their educators - in design considerations. Ask them questions. Their answers are always right. Their input gives any project greater meaning and value.

•  Encourage participation. Wherever possible, midweek ‘working bees’ are held to invite parents and others to roll up sleeves and show they care. It’s an opportunity for adults to work alongside children, learn from them. Communities are strengthened, connections made, a circle completed.

• Work sites aren’t always cordoned-off entirely. Sometimes it’s better to keep a door ajar, opening opportunities for children to inquire. It encourages dialogue, a two-way exchange of ideas, a richer experience for all.

• No radio on site. Listen to children instead, to their chatter, what they have to say.  

• All efforts are made to source materials locally, from each community. There is joy in the giving. It also reduces the embodied energy that comes with moving stuff. Specially heavy stuff.

• We ride to job sites whenever possible. Materials are often transported at night or on weekends (less traffic and fuel consumption, no children, easy parking), so we can bicycle during the day. It keeps children guessing, wondering. It sets an example. One less vehicle on the road.  

• Each job is documented with words and pictures. Each is a story, often with multiple voices, a narrative of a time and place and reasoning. It can be shared as an archive, it can inspire, it can serve as a guidepost for others.