Symbiosphere

Our design practice prioritises sustainable design - designing for place and climate, the environment and community. We design places that people love to be in, connecting them with their landscape, the light and the seasons. Integrated with this is a passion for the protection and repair of the environment. Working to budget is a high priority for us and we have a particular focus on making sustainable design affordable using low-tech solutions, with a good track record of achieving this goal. Our practice involves ongoing research into strategies for making affordable, sustainable buildings, including: modular and (partially) prefabricated designs; compact and efficient (tiny) dwelling forms; and shared/co-house models of land purchase, building and living, and building local networks of suppliers and contractors. We would like to collaborate with clients with projects in: sustainable project housing and multi-residential projects, sustainability retrofits of commercial and residential buildings to improve environmental performance, and urban infill projects on complex or difficult sites (particularly super-compact buildings). Symbiosphere also provides design assessment services on behalf of the Village Design Panel of The Ecovillage at Currumbin, a multi-award winning sustainable residential development in Currumbin Valley on the Gold Coast. The Ecovillage at Currumbin is a leading ecologically sustainable development with Architectural and Landscaping Codes founded in best practice sustainable design and building principles. Working in this context has given us a strong foundation in the principles and strategies required to overcome the challenges facing sustainable housing and promote quality sustainable design.