About us

Based between rural Selwyn, NZ, and urban Surrey, UK, we span the globe. Established in NZ in 2012 as the daughter company of Greenstone Design UK Ltd (est 2005), we are recognised as NZ's leader in salutogenic and biophilic design. With demonstrated capabilities in peer review, advisory, stakeholder engagement, research, planning and design, we are known for health-promoting, cost-effective design. 

As a first in New Zealand, our Founder and Director, Gayle Souter-Brown, undertook a PhD in health. Using the gold standard of health research, and based on decades of design practice, she completed a randomised controlled trial, like trialing a new drug but in this case Vitamin ‘N’ for nature. Through it, Dr Gayle discovered how to design a garden to achieve an almost 20% reduction in chronic stress (measured through salivary cortisol). Spending time in ‘standard’ greenspace achieves an average 5% stress reduction, but by careful attention to enhancing biodiversity, offering a sense of control and letting nature run a little wild it becomes a metaphor for what we need in to thrive in life.

Applying our research into practice we collaborate, advise and design. While traditional healthcare works on the individual, through nature based solutions we can work at scale. Our designs provide a measurable benefit to users, promoting well-being by reducing stress to prevent or reduce the risk of lifestyle related disease. That means our designs not only look good but can actually make a measurable difference to individuals, their family and whānau, and their communities.

We are an active, research-led, evidence-based design practice. Our collaborative and integrated holistic systems thinking approach enables delivery of creative, sustainable, innovative and cost-effective value across

•     dementia care
•     parks and recreation
•     education, 
•     health, 
•     urban design,
•     community gardening, 
•     business parks
•     retirement villages,
•     social housing.

Projects / clients we have worked with include :​

• NZ's first wheelchair-accessible treehouse design, Silverstream School
• NZ's first specialist dementia sensory gardens design, Sprott House, Wellington, NZ  
• natural playgrounds and outdoor learning environments for 20 ECE Centres, design and project management,The Wellington Playcentre  Association, NZ  
• peer review of architects' developed design landscape plans for all patient and staff areas, Burwood Hospital, Christchurch, NZ
• healing gardens for practice rooms, design, Holistic Health, Wellington, NZ 
• Europe's first disabled children's hotel, masterplan and developed design including sensory gardens, petting zoo, universal design playground,Centre Algarve eco resort, Portugal
• wheelchair-accessible sensory playgrounds, Mary Rose Special School,Portsmouth, UK,
• natural playgrounds for Pre-K - Yr7, (to be playable under snow for 5 months of the year), Anglo-American School of Moscow, Russia
• sensory gardens for a)adults with severe  and profound learning disabilities, b)adults with severe ASD, Norwood Village residential care, Berkshire, UK 
• eco resort design consultants to London-based architects, Azerbaijan
• award-winning community playground and outdoor performance space, North Islington Children's Centre, London, UK
• memorial gardens for their care home, Epilepsy Society UK
• community gardens, outdoor kitchen and classroom using locally available labour and materials, Crystal House Boys' home, Mwanza, Tanzania
• design of natural playground and community hub for social housing estate, Raglan Trust, Hampshire, UK 
• design of social therapeutic horticulture and personal gardens for retirement village and aged care home, Addington Trust, Sussex, UK

We bring scientific rigour, international experience, climate adaptive planting design for wildlife and a sense of equity to each project. Our passion is to make the world a better place through innovative design. Sharing that passion is what motivates us to write, speak and train others.  Our growing team shares our love of joined up thinking, to impact the triple bottom line..


To view our corporate profile page, please click here
To view our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy, click here
To view our Diversity & Equality Policy, click here
To view our Environmental Policy, click here
To view our Quality Management Statement, click here

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We are professional members of the Association of Environmentally Conscious Builders, associates of CHANGE, Eco Schools, Institute for Learning, Learning Through Landscapes, Play England, Royal Horticultural Society, Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, the Garden History Society,  the International School Grounds Alliance,  the International Society of Sustainability Professionals, the National Association of Field Studies Officers, the Sensory Trust, and the Urban Design Group. 

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CHANGE Consulting for Health, Air, Nature, & a Greener Environment