Ecopolis Architects Pty Ltd ABN 83 008 090 391
Specialists in ecological architecture, biourbanism & urban ESD
Ecopolis Architects Pty Ltd provide architectural, urban design and interior design services with strong
commitment to the highest standards of ecological responsibility.
We consult at the level of strategic planning and technical studies to detailed architectural design that
consistently exceeds minimum building code and ‘Star rating’ requirements.
Services
Ecopolis Architects Pty Ltd are Corporate Members of the RAIA and offer a full range of architectural services
- architecture
- interior design
- urban design
all on the basis of
ecologically sustainable design principles.
Contact us for an
initial consultation or more information.
Specialist services
We also provide the following specialist services:
- Presentations for conferences, workshops and public events
- Technical writing and editing on green design, eco-architecture, planning, environment, urban
ecology and sustainable development
- Media commentary
- Critical review of architectural and urban design projects for compliance with ecological and
sustainability goals
- Design support for sustainability outcomes, including roof garden design and the integration
of ecological technologies with building construction
- Design for access
- Straw bale or strawbale* design and construction techniques
- Consultancy support for ecological community development projects and programs
* Sometimes referred to as ‘hay bale’ but hay contains
seed heads, straw is just grass stalks. As John Glassford of Huff’n’Puff Constructions
says: ‘Hay is for horses, straw is for houses.’
Who we are
Everything we do is in the context of a living environment –
we are part of a biosphere alive with possibilities and creative potential.
Over more than 3 decades, projects by Ecopolis Architects and its Principal Architect Paul F
Downton have ranged from the environmental design of individual dwellings and eco-houses to
comprehensive ecologically sustainable planning of urban centres.
Ecopolis Architects has international outreach, national experience, and a proven capacity to
work with public and private sector clients.
Our client base includes individuals and organisations committed to the evolution and practice
of green design and has embraced individuals, private companies, federal, state and local governments
and the CSIRO.
Information on a number of Ecopolis Architects projects can be found on this site under Projects.
We support Urban Ecology Australia Inc in its advocacy for healthy buildings and ecological cities
and are the architects of the award-winning Christie Walk EcoCity Project.
Employing a radical analysis of the physical, social and economic aspects of the urban ecosystem
with the touchstone of the Charter of Calcutta
, the ethos of the Ecopolis Development
Principles and the performance measures set out in the Frogstick, our design process is informed by
Paul Downton’s decades of research into ecological architecture and design.
An award-winning architect, researcher and designer, Paul has many years of engagement with
architecture, planning and community affairs. His wide practice experience includes public
and private sector housing in Britain and Australia and his practical knowledge and experience
is also reflected in publications like the ‘Your Home Technical Manual’ to which he
has contributed as both an author and editor.
A graduate from one of the UK’s leading schools of architecture (his 1973 student project
was for an inner-city solar housing project) with a doctorate in environmental studies from the
University of Adelaide based on his theory of Ecopolis, Paul is internationally recognised
as a leading theorist and practitioner of eco-city planning.
Since 1989 he has promulgated his concept of ‘ecopolis’ – fitting human
settlement into the living patterns of nature so that our cities become places of ecological
restoration as well as of economic activity, taking the legacy of our present destructive practices
— our polluted cities and degraded lands — and returning them to ecological health.
The highly skilled core team working with Paul in Ecopolis Architects are committed to the social
ethos and environmental goals of the practice and the ideas it represents. Recent arrival Kanako
Nakanishi brings a steady passion for design and nature with a background in media, commerce and
interior design and degrees from Tokyo and Sydney, whilst Brian Forte maintains our virtual
presence and in-house production capabilities with his ‘dangerous mind’.
Over the years, the work of Ecopolis Architects has been enlivened by the many students and
interns who have contributed their time and skills to the increasingly complex process of making
green buildings, healthy environments and sustainable cities. Interested students or potential
interns are invited to contact the office for details.
A Song of the Rolling Earth
Say on, sayers! sing on, singers!
Delve! mould! pile the words of the earth!
Work on, age after age, nothing is to be lost,
It may have to wait long, but it will certainly come in use,
When the materials are all prepared and ready, the architects shall appear.
Walt Whitman 1856
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