Leaf Architecture

Leaf Architecture Leaf Architecture is a boutique practice with a love of design, people and community.

Based in the Inner West, we have immersed ourselves in one of Sydney’s true creative precincts with a view to establishing ourselves as a design firm with a functional edge. Our passion for the built environment is inspired by our core design intent to create a better built environment for: -

* People
* Community
* Sustainability
* Place making

These goals underpin all of our work, communication

and design processes. We believe in these principles as we have found our spaces to engage with the community and the people who live, work, learn and play in them as a result of this deeper enquiry. Our key services extend to the following areas:

* Architecture
* Interior Design
* Education Planning

Scale impresses adults. It can overwhelm our young people. Those aren't the same design brief.Here's the uncomfortable p...
27/07/2026

Scale impresses adults. It can overwhelm our young people. Those aren't the same design brief.

Here's the uncomfortable part: some of the most impressive school facilities we build are the ones our young people feel least welcome in. A soaring atrium signals ambition to a community — and reads as exposure to a 13-year-old. The bigger the space, the easier it is to be nobody in it.

I don't think the answer is smaller ambitions. It's breaking big buildings down into places small enough to belong to — a home base, a familiar corner, a threshold where someone knows your name.

Principals and teachers: does that match what you see in your school?

Everyone says they value play. Far fewer are willing to design for the mess it actually makes.Play in its real form is l...
22/07/2026

Everyone says they value play. Far fewer are willing to design for the mess it actually makes.

Play in its real form is loud, messy, unpredictable — sand on the floor, a fort half-built, materials nowhere near where they started. And a lot of what we design quietly resists exactly that. Often our instinct to keep a learning space neat is really about adult comfort, not how children actually learn.

But this is where the real learning lives. When children negotiate whose fort goes where, improvise when a plan collapses, and clean up together afterwards, they're building the soft skills that actually predict success — collaboration, problem-solving, resilience, communication. You can't worksheet your way to those. They come from unstructured, hands-on, occasionally chaotic play.

Designing for that means designing for the mess: durable, forgiving surfaces, storage that makes reset easy, spaces that can be pulled apart and put back together without an adult wincing. It means letting a room look "used" and calling that success.

If a learning space only works when it's tidy, it wasn't really built for the children in it. I'd rather design for the mess — because that's where the learning actually happens.

Curious where others land on this — do we design enough room for real play? 👇

Teaching is one of the few jobs where you're "on" every minute of the day. So why do we so rarely design the spaces that...
20/07/2026

Teaching is one of the few jobs where you're "on" every minute of the day. So why do we so rarely design the spaces that let teachers reset?

Every school we work with wants flexible, light-filled, biophilic spaces for students. Rightly so. But the staff areas — the places where the adults carrying the whole day are meant to reset in eight minutes flat — deserve that same intent.

We recently designed a space built for exactly that: somewhere teachers can genuinely recalibrate between classes, not just refuel. Quiet light, a view of green, a seat that invites you to actually pause. Nothing extravagant — just the same design care we bring to every learning space, extended to the people who lead them.

If environment shapes how students learn, it shapes how teachers teach. When we value these spaces, we help our teachers perform at their best — and I think that's a design brief worth taking seriously.

Curious what teachers here think — does your staff space help you reset? 👇

At the most recent Learning Environments Australasia conference in Perth, our Managing Director, Daniel Smith, was the p...
12/06/2026

At the most recent Learning Environments Australasia conference in Perth, our Managing Director, Daniel Smith, was the proud recipient of a Life Membership award.

An excerpt from the 2025 Life Membership Citation is below:

“For over a decade of continuous involvement, Daniel has demonstrated outstanding dedication to advancing the mission of Learning Environments Australasia, fostering learning environments that inspire, include and evolve with the needs of educators, learners and communities. His service has been marked by strategic vision, inclusive leadership and a steadfast commitment to strengthening the organisation for future generations.

We proudly acknowledge Daniel’s invaluable contribution and unwavering commitment to bringing educators and designers together to shape the future of learning environments. His impact is distinguished, enduring and deeply valued across New South Wales, Australasia and the wider LEA community.”

We congratulate Daniel for his significant commitment to the Learning Environments Australasia community and are grateful to have the benefit of his expertise and passion within the Leaf Architecture Team.

Our recently completed project at One School Global, Oatlands, aimed to create a welcoming environment for students with...
09/06/2026

Our recently completed project at One School Global, Oatlands, aimed to create a welcoming environment for students with a strong sense of ‘home’.

One of the biggest challenges in achieving this was in highly technical spaces such as kitchens and laboratories. These areas must remain compliant, durable and highly functional, yet not feel intimidating for younger students, particularly those in Years 7 and 8.

Our team’s design for the Food Technology areas strikes this balance. The spaces are functional, durable and easily supervisable, while also feeling familiar and approachable, almost like an extension of the students’ own kitchens.

The result is a space that performs like a specialist facility but feels like an extension of the students’ own kitchens, encouraging confidence, creativity and a genuine enjoyment of the culinary process.

We've just completed a series of low‑budget, high‑impact interventions to improve accessibility and elevate the quality ...
05/06/2026

We've just completed a series of low‑budget, high‑impact interventions to improve accessibility and elevate the quality of learning environments across the campus at St. Maroun’s College, Marrickville.

As Stage 1 of the Masterplan, the works re‑imagined 30‑year‑old classrooms by extending their footprint onto previously underutilised balconies, unlocking additional space and enabling more generous, flexible layouts. The maximisation of writeable surfaces and reconfigured planning supports contemporary pedagogical approaches, creating environments that are more adaptive, engaging and future‑ready.

These works set a strong foundation for the next stages of the Masterplan, demonstrating how purposeful, design‑led interventions can transform ageing spaces into vibrant, inclusive and contemporary learning settings.

Just back from the 2026 LEA Conference in Perth, our team is energised and excited to be part of organising the next con...
02/06/2026

Just back from the 2026 LEA Conference in Perth, our team is energised and excited to be part of organising the next conference, to be held in Sydney in 2027.

Daniel has stepped into the role of Conference Co‑Convenor, Kat is contributing to the Pre‑Conference Tours program, and Jo is helping to shape the overall Customer Experience for delegates.

It’s another way Leaf demonstrates our ongoing commitment and passion for the design of learning environments, extending our contribution well beyond the workplace and into the broader education community.

The 2027 conference theme is 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴. For a sneak peek at what’s ahead, follow this conference preview.

https://ev.learningenvironments.org.au/2027Belonging

For many schools, the hall is the heart of the community. A place for gathering, sport and learning, it must be all thin...
30/05/2026

For many schools, the hall is the heart of the community. A place for gathering, sport and learning, it must be all things to all people: highly functional, durable and capable of supporting a wide range of users, activities and acoustic needs.

At One School Global, Oatlands, our team designed the hall around the diverse requirements of the school community, creating a space that is warm and welcoming while also being robust, easy to maintain and large enough to support sport and PDHPE.

Natural light and ventilation play a key role in making the space comfortable and uplifting, while large openings create flexibility for whole‑school gatherings by seamlessly connecting the hall to the outdoors.

Project number five with our valued client is now complete!The refurbishment of the administration areas draws deeply fr...
05/05/2026

Project number five with our valued client is now complete!

The refurbishment of the administration areas draws deeply from the client’s cultural heritage: arches inspired by traditional Lebanese forms, timber referencing the iconic cedar trees, and a façade that begins the story before you even step inside.

Every detail was crafted to reflect the client’s identity, creating an arrival experience that feels authentic, welcoming, and unmistakably theirs.

Delivered in collaboration with de.arch p/l
Image credit: Rogers Construction Group

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘆!We’re excited to see this next phase take shape over the comin...
01/05/2026

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗮𝘆!

We’re excited to see this next phase take shape over the coming months, featuring a new Performing Arts Centre, music rooms, general learning areas, a canteen, student amenities, and beautifully landscaped outdoor play spaces.

A transformative stage for the school community is now in motion.

Address

Level 1, 12-16 Queen Street
Chippendale, NSW
2008

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+61290023000

Website

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