Inside Hassell’s commitment to biodiversity-driven design

September is Biodiversity Month, a time to reflect on how design can advocate for our natural world. 

As biodiversity declines globally, the environmental consequences are severe. At Hassell, we’re committed to reversing this trend by creating environments that restore local ecology.

Our commitment to designing for nature is evident in our work worldwide. It can be seen in our projects focused on transforming disused spaces into places where flora and fauna can thrive. For example, Central Green Forest Park in Beijing, once a contaminated industrial estate, now serves as a natural oasis in the city. The Sunshine Coast Ecological Park, once 65 hectares of farmland, has been transformed into a refuge for local wildlife and the community.

We also work closely with municipalities and councils to revitalise underutilised urban waterfronts. 

In Shenzhen, we are transforming parts of the Longgang River as part of an initiative to enhance 1000km of waterways. 

In San Francisco, our vision for Colma Creek has been developed through community engagement and aims to restore ecology, improve water access and build environmental stewardship.

In Australia, we are delivering positive ecological outcomes for projects in close collaboration with our First Nations partners. At Sydney Airport, we transformed the international forecourt from a concrete plaza into an immersive landscape that embodies the spirit of Sydney. In Melbourne, we are creating an immersive new biodiverse public landscape of an unprecedented scale and complexity that will help reshape the Melbourne Arts Precinct. One The Esplanade, an urban building in Perth, features abundant endemic planting and native landscapes.

Some of our unrealised projects are our most aspirational when it comes to supporting local ecology. 

For example, we designed a park with no lawn for Bradfield Central Park in Western Sydney, acknowledging that lawns are known biodiversity deserts. Our award-winning design for Ngurra: The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Precinct emerged from an emotional, cultural engagement process and captures the drama, beauty and spontaneity of the wild grasslands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country.

Innovative initiatives like the Sydney Showground Planting Trials allow us to research, prototype, and test new approaches to creating biodiversity-rich landscapes that thrive.

These efforts underscore our commitment to regenerative design, focusing on creating resilient environments that support both people and the planet — a core element of our purpose to create a better future.