A contemporary garden for an important centre of learning, this design was one of Ochre’s larger projects and was completed in 2005. The challenge was to divide a large open space to create more human scale, provide intimacy for gatherings and encourage different types of passive recreation. The planting is entirely Australian native species, the bulk of which are indigenous to the Moorabbin area and subsequently have fairly high drought tolerance. Lawn areas are sparingly irrigated and the turf of choice, a buffalo grass, is one of the best options when selecting for low water use areas.

The complex, also incorporating a hotel, had strong architectural elements which needed interpretation in the surrounding landscape to ‘anchor’ the building to the site. Colours and forms from the building are repeated or accentuated in the gardens and the contemporary palette of hardscape materials used transpose the architectural style into the surrounding environment. Stainless steel, exposed aggregate concrete, chunky timber and simple lines combine into a very effective commercial landscape.