INGENUITY
A Family Garden for Everyday Living
Sector
Garden Renovation
Location
Bella Vista, Sydney
Council
The Hills Shire Council
Awards
Gold Award - Design & Built 2025
Ingenuity Studio Group
Construction Team
Ingenuity Studio Group
Feature :
• Raised timber deck forming the main outdoor living platform
• Built-in bench seating integrated with planting edges
• Filtered shade garden created under existing trees
• Open lawn designed for family activity and play
This project is a fully constructed residential garden delivered through a fully integrated design and build process, where project development and construction progressed in parallel to ensure consistency between intent and built outcome.
Rather than pursuing visual impact through isolated features, the project responds to daily family life, prioritising clear spatial hierarchy, durable materials and long-term usability. Terraces, seating and planting zones were resolved through on-site judgement, allowing spatial decisions to be continuously informed by construction realities and site conditions.
Materials already present on site were selectively retained and reused where possible during construction, reinforcing continuity with the existing dwelling and allowing the garden, architecture and surrounding spaces to be resolved as a cohesive whole, while reducing unnecessary material intervention.Mature trees were preserved and carefully integrated into the spatial composition through construction-led decisions, with built elements positioned to respect root zones, protect long-term tree health and allow hardscape forms to merge naturally with existing trunks and canopies. This approach enables the landscape to feel established and grounded while maintaining spatial clarity across the site.
The garden is structured to support family life at multiple scales, balancing shared gathering areas with more intimate zones for individual activity. Spatial proportions, planting and built elements work together to create a sequence of connected outdoor rooms that accommodate daily use, seasonal change and long-term enjoyment.Through a design and build process informed by on-site judgement, material awareness and spatial sensitivity, the project demonstrates a holistic approach to residential landscape construction, where atmosphere, function and context are resolved as a unified system rather than a collection of details.
