One very important relationship is with Atlas Concrete and Landscapes, who construct many of our designs.

Matt James (founding director of Atlas) and Nadia (from Platylobium) have known and worked together for five years and have collaborated on many Australian Native Landscape projects of all kinds over that time.

So what does this collaborative process actually look like? Well, to begin with, we have a site visit where the clients get both the benefit of Platylobium’s native landscape design knowledge and Matt’s understanding of construction methods. This is where we discuss things like access (e.g., do we need to get machinery or a crane in?), how best to manage site constraints (such as slopes, drainage problems, or easements), what design options will fall within budget (such as a poured concrete pool vs. a craned-in pre-cast plunge pool), and how we can work the design to enable efficiency during the build (which helps to manage costs).

A recent example is a client who was building a new home and pool. The pool and outdoor area had been designed by the draftsman, but the cost to build this design was prohibitive. Together, Nadia and Matt came up with some creative new garden design modern ideas that would save the clients around $50,000.

Following this, there are usually a LOT of phone calls to clarify the design! When collaborating on a project, Matt and Nadia spend many an evening nutting out the finer details to produce a design that fulfills our client’s brief.

After getting the first round of design completed, Matt and Nadia like to both attend a meeting with the client to explain the design concept (Nadia) and field any questions about the construction process (Matt). By having both the design and construction team on hand, our clients get the benefit of their combined experience (over 30 years), and an accurate idea of the process and cost of construction.

At this stage, we take on client feedback and any further suggestions from Matt to revise the plan until the design is perfected and all the finer details (such as dimensions, plant design, and material types and quantities) have been documented.

With this documentation, Matt is then able to provide a detailed quote. He will often speak with Nadia to further understand design details at this stage.

When we get to the exciting build stage, the Platylobium team will often visit the site to assist with any questions during construction. Sometimes there are unexpected challenges - for example, we recently uncovered a rock shelf located right where a flat play area was destined to go. Rather than try to remove the rock (a costly and time-consuming exercise), Nadia was able to work with Matt to come up with a design solution that avoided a cost blowout.

All of this extra work and collaboration mean that at the end of this process, we have a beautifully designed and constructed Australian Native Landscape. We work really hard to give our clients a gorgeous garden and make it an enjoyable experience to boot.

In short, a collaborative design and construction process means:

• Optimal design (diverse ideas, perspectives, experience, knowledge)

• Streamlining costs

• More enjoyable process