BOX? WHAT BOX?

Polygon is founded on the idea that it is through the smaller details that the bigger picture takes shape. As each day happens through a sequence of smaller experiences, it is by focussing on how these smaller moments influence the whole we can create more unified, larger spatial experiences. When we design we need to understand the pixels to comprehend the picture.

For all spaces - public, residential, play spaces - this stems from understanding who will be using them and why. People can be grouped but a person is unique, and will create their own unique memories of a space. How we influence, engage, react with space helps define how we perceive the world. Spaces are defined by those that use them, as they should also define how they are designed.

This is why research plays a large part in our design process. This may not be project specific, but ongoing research into the empirical and theoretical drives new ideas and allows us to discover concepts that inform our design decisions. Materials play a large part in this. At times we'll discover new materials or processes, which we will then take away and if possible build a prototype to see what can be achieved.

None of this stops at landscape architecture. We look for ideas from a wide range of fields including art, architecture, education and play, environmental science, horticulture, quantum mechanics, cross-stitching. Through this broad approach to research and idea generation we can make connections across fields and develop new and innovative landscapes.

When we design we take all of this into play, to ensure that the final outcome has come about through a process of rigorous rejection and our play spaces meet safety standards while still allowing imagination to play. This is why we predominantly work in the digital realm - to ensure that the pile of ideas that weren't good enough is purely abstract.