The Green Room Landscape Architecture is leading an international collaboration to bring Oasis for the Senses, a new healing children’s play space, to Tucson through a partnership with Netherlands-based nonprofit Office for the New Earth. The project, designed for the nonprofit Second Sky, combines neuro-aesthetic principles, desert-inspired landscaping, and research-backed environmental psychology to support children’s emotional well-being, imagination, and sense of calm. What began as a chance meeting at a conference in Sweden has evolved into a multi-phase community initiative set to break ground this November.
The idea for Oasis for the Senses emerged when Charlie Ray, owner of The Green Room Landscape Architecture, connected with Office for the New Earth founders Niels Hofstee and Michael Vrijhof during the international conference. Inspired by their work in Greece and Cyprus creating restorative, nature-forward environments for refugee children, Ray invited Hofstee and Vrijhof to collaborate in his Phoenix studio on a project that could benefit an Arizona nonprofit. Their shared vision centered on designing a play environment that diverges from stimulation-heavy playgrounds and instead emphasizes balance, peace, and sensory engagement.
Office for the New Earth brings expertise in design, architecture, and environmental psychology, with a focus on neuro-aesthetics. Their work uses natural materials, organic shapes, daylight, harmonious proportions, and layered patterns to influence emotional calm and curiosity. These elements guided the planning of Oasis for the Senses, which takes inspiration from Ray’s childhood home and the surrounding desert.
After reviewing dozens of potential partners, the team selected Second Sky, a community organization serving families in South Tucson. With its 12,000-sq.-ft. community center and an acre of undeveloped land, Second Sky offered both the need and the space for a project of this scale. The future play environment will support the nonprofit’s after-school programming by creating opportunities for exploration, rest, and creative expression…