Nestled within the architectural folds of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, the reimagined Red Note Café courtyard has been quietly transformed into a richly layered landscape — one that resonates with rhythm, restraint and reverence for what came before. Working alongside Conrad Gargett, TCL led the design and delivery of this nuanced space, shaped as much by its constraints as by its creative potential.

Guided by the site’s existing character, the design sought to preserve mature vegetation, stitching new layers into the established green fabric. The spatial proportions of the courtyard were gently restructured through the lens of the golden ratio — a mathematical harmony that has profoundly influenced music theory. This principle informed the cadence and geometry of the space, lending a subtle compositional logic to its form.

Sheltered by the surrounding building, the courtyard receives only filtered light — a condition that shaped a refined planting palette of native species suited to low-light conditions. These species build on the existing understory, deepening the landscape’s coherence while supporting the water dragons that have long called this garden home.

With limited access and sensitivity to ground conditions, the design leaned into a light-touch philosophy. Materials were largely reclaimed or recycled in situ, supplemented only by low-impact, sustainably sourced additions. In doing so, the courtyard becomes a quiet palimpsest — not overwriting the past, but revealing and enriching it.

This is a space attuned to its context — spatially, ecologically, and culturally. Intimate in scale yet expansive in its ambition, the garden offers a layered, textural counterpoint to the Conservatorium’s internal world: a place to pause, listen, and breathe.