The more-than-human paradigm signifies a shift from a human centric to a broader ecological perspective. This relational view of the world recognizes that certain processes exist beyond human consciousness or intervention. This article presents Urban Reef’s research-creation which puts in practice ways to design human systems that embrace natural systems principles. To this end, UR’s approach to more-than-human design combines speculative design, critical making and ecological system thinking. Four values found in Urban Reef’s practice are: to ideate through ecological thinking and imaginaries, to experiment with nature-based tectonics, to non-intrusively promote living systems regeneration, and to silently listen to more-than-human teachers. The framework presented in this article rethinks notions of care by positioning design as a natural process and material as living with agency.