OUR SPECIALIST SERVICES
Our passion for land and ecosystem restoration has led us to dive deeper in key areas of expertise. Our focus is going beyond sustainability to create thriving, abundant and resilient landscapes.
We work on a wide variety of projects - from large scale land and water restoration projects, to farm regeneration, and ecological building designs.
WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU
Water Retention
Water retention features are essential to increase water infiltration and improve the hydrology of the land. The main goal of these features is to slow down water and circulate it throughout the property.
These techniques are of critical importance in dry climates to ensure sufficient moisture is provided to the ecosystem. In wet climates, water retention is very important to control soil erosion.
Most of these techniques require earthworks. But once correctly implemented they become the foundations of your living systems.
Life will thrive under the right hydrological conditions. These features range in scale and complexity from earthen ponds and dams to terraces, from infiltration basins or trenches to rain gardens or mulch basins.
We provide consultation, design and implementation services.
Forestry Systems
Forestry systems are powerful features that bring many advantages to the entire ecosystem. Trees are the ultimate soil builders. They provide a large amount of exudates for soil microorganisms as well as a large amount of organic matter. Their roots provide aeration and soil structure allowing water to better infiltrate.
They also provide a large amount of transpiration which moderates ambient temperature and humidity, they act as screens against winds and they provide shade, essentially creating a microclimate. Trees provide a home to a diverse range of organisms, they are perennial and their long term lifespan gives resilience and stability to the entire ecosystem.
We follow the principles of syntropic agroforestry to fast tract the forestry development. Whether you are interested in fruits, nuts, timber, indigenous forests or a combination.
We provide design and implementation services.
Regenerative Soil
Soil is the foundation of our terrestrial ecosystems. We need healthy and biodiverse soils to support our growing systems.
Soil health and microbial diversity, especially bacteria and fungi, play a key role in providing appropriate soil structure for water and nutrient retention.
Microbial diversity is also critical for plant nutrition and plant health. Regenerative soils provide most of the nutrients that plants require through biology in the soil.
Organic waste can be processed into soil amendments through composting, vermi-composting and bokashi. We can turn waste into an incredible resource to support and regenerate our soils.
Other techniques, such as ferments, microbial inoculations, bio-amendments are also effective to provide the beneficial microbial diversity that our soils required as well as to address any nutrient deficiency in the soil without the need to use synthetic fertilisers.
We provide soil assessment and consultation services.
Ecological Building
Ecological buildings are buildings with low environmental impact that contribute positively to the immediate environment.
Ecological buildings are characterised by three components.
One is the manner in which they are built, using materials with low environmental impact and non toxic materials with consideration to their reuse-ability or recycling potential.
The second component is their energy requirements. Ecological buildings are designed to have a very low energy input. Their design needs to consider the specific climatic conditions of the site. Maximising natural light, natural ventilation and passive cooling and heating.
The third component is the building integration with the rest of the property. The building can provide a positive impact by providing additional water resources, organic nutrients to improve soils or providing a medium for plants and other biology to grow.
We provide consultation and design services.
Book an Introductory Call
Get in touch with us to discuss how can we best assist you with your project. Whether you are interested in water retention, soil health, agroforestry, ecological building or all of the above.
BOOK A CALLOUR PROCESS
Step 1- Brief Development & Goal Definition
A project can only be successful if it meets your goals and requirements. It is essential that we discuss these so there is a clear understanding of what the project is trying to achieve and what your expectations are.
This first step is all about setting the foundations of the project. If you are unclear as to what needs to be included or even what your specific goals are, we can assist you.
We have developed a methodology to help you brainstorm your aspirations for the project and determine what goals the project should pursue. We will then help you to determine what systems and components are more suitable to your specific requirements.
Step 2- Observation & Design
In this step we develop our design proposals and workshop them with you. But before we start our design process we need to learn about the specifics of your local area, your site and everything that lives in and around it. This is what we call the observation process. The observation is carried out through site visits and via desktop research. We cover from climatic and geological data to existing structures, views, neighbours, water, soils and biology.
Only once we have completed the observation process we commence with the design. We then develop the preliminary design ideas and we brainstorm and workshop them with you. Lastly, we develop the concept design in more detail.
We often schedule the site visits, preliminary ideas development, brainstorming and workshops with you, back to back, so we can undertake these in one single trip over various days.
Step 3- Implementation
The implementation stage is the construction and installation of the design and features. This is an essential step for the success of the project. Although we try to be as rigorous with our design as possible, working with natural systems often result in many unknowns only becoming apparent once the implementation works commence. Therefore, often design decisions have to be made during the implementation process.
We supervise and manage the implementation works to ensure that all design decisions are in line with the agreed design, your expectations and your goals.
We can also assist you in the procurement of the necessary materials and equipment, as well as with the appointment of third party contractors if required.
HOW WE WORK - OUR METHODOLOGY
At Wild Banana Design, we are focused on creating the best client experience we can offer.
What does that mean?
Well for us, it means creating a highly interactive and collaborative design process so that we design alongside our clients, not for our clients.
Why do we think this is important?
Land, farms, homesteads and self sufficient properties are complex - that is what gives them the incredible ability to create diverse and abundant ecosystems. It is critical that the client’s ideals and lifestyle are integrated into the system and its design.
During the design process, we host a series of design workshops with the client - so that they are always fully on board with the design decisions being made.
We believe that this is the only way to ensure that the client is deeply satisfied with the end result, and to create systems and spaces that thrive and only get better over time.
GET IN TOUCH!
We would love to meet you and talk about your project or opportunities to collaborate. Please reach out to us! Fill out the form below or email us at [email protected]
