[MEL14]

2014 Melbourne Design Awards

Metropolitan Fire Brigade - Emergency services training centre

 
Image Credit : Fraser Marsden

Website

Gold 

Project Overview

Metropolitan Fire Brigade in conjunction with Melbourne Parks Victoria, developed a new purpose built, contemporary ‘Centre of Excellence’ for training and development of its operational workforce at 284 - 290 Hume Highway in Craigieburn.

Project Commissioner

Woods Bagot

Project Creator

Büro North

Team

Soren Luckins
Finn Butler
Jess Caffin
David Williamson

Project Brief

The new facility is required to provide a range of emergency response and emergency management learning environments, including the development of standard theoretical training facilities and a number of unique purpose built structures that support fire, specialist rescue, safety and other forms of practical emergency management training.

Our brief was the development environmental super graphics and a robust wayfinding signage solution for the training facility that considers functionality, safety, wayfinding, place making and ensures smooth operation of the facility.

Project Innovation/Need

Particular focus was given to entry to the site and navigation of the Urban Training Environment. eg. Drivers of Appliances have a higher view point than drivers of private vehicles. Information intended for Appliance drivers must therefore be delivered at a suitable height to meet both sight line requirements. The scale of the information across the site varies widely depending on the intended audience.

Safety and effective signage was paramount, with trainees presented with props that simulate a range of real life emergency scenarios, including fires, road accidents and other emergencies. Each decision point, entry, movement of trainees

Design Challenge

Our wayfinding strategy dealt with the application of environmental super graphics. A wide variety of users with different requirements, security access and restrictions to ensure that information delivered across the site facilitates successful and safe navigation of the site by a wide variety of users.

The training props represent typical Melbourne features such as a suburban neighbourhood, a tram stop in the CBD, a classic Melbourne shopping strip, the underground rail loop and the Burnley tunnel, and requiring carful consideration of graphic application in each instance.

Effectiveness

Our contribution in developing the wayfinding for the new Metropolitan Fire Brigade training facility aligns information to operations to avoid confusion and streamline efficiency and provides a user centric focus to an operationally driven environment.




This award celebrates creativity and innovation in the intersection of communication design and the built environment, and is concerned with the visual aspects of wayfinding, communication identity and brands, information design and shaping the idea of place. Consideration given to clarity of communication and the matching of information style to audience.
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