Graeme Labe’s design philosophy is rooted in the belief that enriching spaces are those shaped with environmental consciousness and integrity. As managing partner and chief design officer for Luxury Frontiers, Graeme speaks to designing spaces that exist in conversation with the natural surroundings.
What is true sustainability for you?
Sustainability isn’t something we add later; it’s embedded from the start. It’s not a checklist or aesthetic choice, but a guiding principle. It shapes how we respond to place, climate, and community. We consider more than the physical site. We pay careful attention to the social and cultural context as well. True sustainability doesn’t stop at solar orientation or ventilation — it’s about understanding the full story of a place and designing with care.
And what does that care look like?
Our process begins with listening. The land reveals itself — light, shadow, wind, heat retained in stone. These clues shape the foundation of our work. Passive strategies are not a checklist, but a conversation between climate and structure. This dialogue is taking shape in a welcome pavilion for a project we’re currently working on in the Klein Karoo. Thick stone walls store and release heat, a planted roof provides shade and insulation, and orientation captures winter sun while blocking summer glare. Deep overhangs regulate light and comfort. At the heart of the building’s passive performance is a rock cooling system. This is an elemental intervention grounded in ancient logic. Together, these systems respond to climate with quiet intelligence. The result is architecture that feels at ease in its setting.
Ancient knowledge seems to be woven into your work. Would you say this is true?
Inspiration begins with observation. One of our desert conservation projects integrates wind towers, sunken courtyards, and limited openings — drawing from regional vernaculars. Not to mimic, but to honour centuries of knowledge. This is how sustainability is remembered and reimagined.
“Inspiration begins with observation.”
