What is a Sociable Weaver?
Across the semi-arid plains of Southern Africa, some of the most spectacular structures ever built by a bird are perched on top of trees and power lines. These carefully constructed nests reach heights of up to four metres, with as many as four or five hundred birds inhabiting them at one time. Woven together with twigs, stems, sticks and dried grasses, they feature interconnected spaces that allow the inhabitants to both socialise and enjoy solitude within the bird community. The nests are designed in a way that provides the birds with year-round thermal comfort, featuring well-insulated central chambers inhabited in cold winters, and ventilated lightweight outer chambers inhabited in hot summer. Nesting several generations at a time, these nests withstand the extreme African weather to exist for hundreds of years.
These resilient, high-density communities are built to belong by the incredibly intelligent bird – the Sociable Weaver.
Inspired by this small bird, we too work with the natural world, building homes that foster a sense of belonging for everyone who inhabits them. We are not only interested in creating homes; we are interested in creating and nurturing a meaningful way of being — one that inspires a richer experience for the inhabitant, and has a positive impact on the world we live in.
Our approach
Outlast a lifetime
We design & build our homes to outlast a lifetime, focusing on making them practical, beautiful and sustainable for generations to come.
WORKING WITH NATURE
Environmental responsibility informs every decision we make from our building materials to our building processes. This isn’t just about positively impacting the planet and increasing energy efficiency in our homes, it’s about connecting residents to nature, awakening their senses, and promoting a healthier, more balanced state of mind and wellbeing.
CREATING CONNECTION
We’re interested in creating homes and streetscapes that open people up to one another, that cultivate meaningful relationships while still allowing residents to find the solitude they need in their daily lives. Like the nests built by the Sociable Weaver, our homes foster a sense of belonging — connecting residents to their environment, their community and ultimately, to themselves.
EMBRACING BEAUTY
We believe beauty and the aesthetic world play a powerful role in igniting the human spirit and inspiring us to action. When created well, spaces should captivate and move us, maybe even change our heartbeat. That’s what we aspire to do – to create beautiful homes, upholding craftsmanship that stands the test of time.
Measuring our impact
Throughout the year, we reflect as a team on whether we exceeded, met, or fell short of our targets. This introspection guides our improvement efforts and holds us accountable to our team, to our clients and ultimately to the planet.
We incorporate third party accreditations including eTool and B Corp to track our impact across projects and as a business. Each of our design and builds are measured against a comprehensive audit, these are then shared to us and the homeowners as reports. We also summarise the impact of each our projects on our website while also providing a running total of impact measured to date.
Over its lifespan, The Bungalow will emit 395 tCO2e less than average or standard buildings providing the same functionality
Credentials
