Designing Outdoor Learning Environments
Every school has a story to tell. We work closely with principals, teachers, and students to create child-led playspaces and nature play designs that reflect your school’s values and learning philosophy.
Our process is hands-on and collaborative, we listen, sketch, explore and test ideas together. The result is a design that not only looks great but also works in real life: outdoor classrooms, shaded gathering areas, and gardens that invite exploration and learning.
We understand the practical needs of schools from safety and supervision to budget and maintenance and design spaces that are functional, durable and easy to care for.
Nature play encourages children to connect with the environment and each other. Through sustainable landscape design and the use of natural materials, we create spaces that challenge, engage and support wellbeing. From biodiverse planting palettes and water-sensitive landscapes to green infrastructure in schools, our designs promote learning through interaction with the natural world.
We consider every detail shade, drainage, access, and play value to ensure spaces remain engaging and resilient year-round.
How We Can Help
Our design process is built on collaboration and flexibility. We offer a half-day, design-intensive workshop for schools, guiding your team through creative concept development while aligning ideas with your budget and site constraints.
These sessions often form the foundation for school master planning and long-term visions for your grounds. Whether you’re upgrading a single playspace or redeveloping an entire campus, we help you achieve a design that is both inspiring and achievable.
Our work goes beyond the physical design of spaces. We collaborate with behaviour change experts to help schools create environments that encourage active, positive use of outdoor areas. By combining educational landscape architecture with insights into human behaviour, we design spaces that shift how students, staff and communities interact with their environment — fostering stewardship, wellbeing and a deeper connection to place.
