Our Design Values
At Urban Landscape Projects (ULP), we believe school landscapes should do more than provide play and open space — they should be dynamic environments that inspire learning, play, and community connection. Since 1990, we have worked with schools across NSW and QLD to create award-winning educational landscapes that balance creativity, safety, sustainability, and durability.
Our school designs are suburban sanctuaries for play and learning — places where children can explore, experiment, and grow. We are mindful of the nine senses, ensuring students can touch, smell, listen, observe, and engage with the natural world in meaningful ways.
Our approach to play is non-prescriptive, open-ended, child-led, and deeply connected to learning. By embedding natural play, gardens, outdoor learning areas, and sustainable systems, our school landscapes become “learning landscapes” that support education across multiple curriculum areas.
Our school designs are suburban sanctuaries for play and learning — places where children can explore, experiment, and grow. We are mindful of the nine senses, ensuring students can touch, smell, listen, observe, and engage with the natural world in meaningful ways.
Our approach to play is non-prescriptive, open-ended, child-led, and deeply connected to learning. By embedding natural play, gardens, outdoor learning areas, and sustainable systems, our school landscapes become “learning landscapes” that support education across multiple curriculum areas.
Services
Ways To Connect With Urban Landscape Projects
Award-Winning Design Expertise for Schools
For over 30 years, ULP’s design team has been creating landscapes that enrich student life. Our experience covers everything from playgrounds and outdoor classrooms to performance spaces, sports courts, gardens, and gathering areas.
What sets our design apart:
- Passionate team – our designers are advocates for learning through play. They know outdoor environments shape student growth, wellbeing, and resilience.
- Community focus – every school community is unique. We listen to teachers, students, and parents to ensure the design reflects their needs and identity.
- Student-centred design – children learn through play. Our designs build in opportunities for social interaction, problem-solving, risk-taking, and creativity, which are critical to child development.
- Safety & compliance – our designs meet Australian Playground Safety Standards, Departmental Standards, and Cancer Council guidelines. ULP has qualified Playground Safety Inspectors within our design team, ensuring compliance is built in from the start.
- High-quality documentation – all of our designs are delivered as professionally prepared architectural plans. These are not generic catalogue selections or hand-drawn sketches, but fully considered, precise, and detailed plans that reflect the professionalism and experience of our design team.
- Practical and buildable outcomes – working closely with our construction staff, we ensure every plan is costed accurately, achievable, and durable.
Capturing Student Voice: Junior Design Workshop
One of the most powerful aspects of our school design process is the Junior Design Workshop. This workshop invites a group of students to participate directly in the design process, giving them an authentic voice in shaping their own environment.
- Student voice matters – students are the primary users of school landscapes. Engaging them ensures designs reflect how they want to learn and play.
- Interactive process – through drawing, mapping, and discussion, students share their ideas, priorities, and creative visions for their outdoor spaces.
- Community activation – when students see their input shaping the design, it creates excitement and ownership across the whole school community.
- Better outcomes – capturing student voice means designs are meaningful, relevant, and embraced by the community, ensuring long-term success.
The Junior Design Workshop is a fun, collaborative process that activates the community and ensures the final design delivers what the school truly needs.
Our Design Promise
Every ULP school design is:
- Creative – inspiring spaces for play, learning, and connection.
- Functional – suited to the day-to-day needs of busy school environments.
- Safe & compliant – designed with student wellbeing and standards front of mind.
- Realistic & achievable – costed accurately and built to last.
With ULP, schools gain a design partner who is passionate, experienced, and deeply committed to creating landscapes that support learning, wellbeing, and community life.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. For quality and warranty reasons, we only maintain landscapes and playgrounds constructed by Urban Landscape Projects.
Visits are planned based on usage, type of features, and your site’s specific needs—monthly, seasonal, or annual options available.
Yes, our team includes Playground Safety Inspectors, compliance auditors, and experienced educational landscapers.
Yes. Every visit is logged, photographed, and summarised for your records, insurance, and audit needs.
Absolutely. Our maintenance clients receive priority response for all urgent issues.
Book a consultation with our team to set up your custom maintenance plan—it’s simple and tailored to your school or centre.
The Benefits of Combining Landscape Design and Construction
The most effective outcomes for schools happen when ULP manages both design and construction.
From the Design Perspective
Designers collaborate directly with builders to ensure plans are costed accurately, compliant, and constructable. Because the design team stays involved during construction, the original vision is maintained and problems are solved quickly.
From the Construction Perspective
Builders benefit from direct access to the design team, ensuring questions are answered quickly and details are delivered correctly. With design and construction under one roof, there’s no blame game, fewer variations, and greater accountability.
Why it matters for schools
- Fewer disruptions – one streamlined process saves time and reduces delays.
- Cost certainty – budgets are realistic from the start.
- True accountability – one team owns the process, from concept to completion.
- Student-focused outcomes – with design oversight during construction, the end result truly reflects the school’s needs and vision.
- Professional, qualified construction – Do they compare with ULP? We guarantee our services. Other contractors may be unqualified, uninsured, or lack the experience required to give your School the result it deserves.
This turnkey solution makes the process smoother, faster, accountable or reliable.
