Image Credit : Tom Debenham (BEST GROUP)
Project Overview
This project was the opportunity to significantly redefine the visitor experience of North Head Sanctuary - Manly's harbour gem - through a holistic and interdisciplinary design solution.
Project Commissioner
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust
Project Creator
Team
Jacob Burke - Wayfinding Strategy & Creative Direction
Roy Hansen - Design Management
David Chapman - Design Direction
George Thompson - Industrial Design
Nick Pickering - Information Design
Project Brief
North Head Sanctuary had been craving a new focus, attention and investment on 'visitor experience' for a long period of time!
To effectively promote and foster positive engagement with, and navigation of this natural landscape precinct, the project sought to strategically redefine the multi-modal paths of travel for visitors with a key focus on reinvigorating the commercial and leisure aspects and attractivity of the site.
With a diverse offering to local and international visitors (including the Australian Memorial Walk) - the project brief included a new strategic framework of wayfinding and movement, redefining sub-precincts/areas and effecting the intended new experience through a comprehensive suite of signage throughout the vast landmass.
Essentially; the brief required the new designed experience to reflect North Head Sanctuary as a precinct with offerings of its own. One that sits within other key tourist designations adjacent; Fairfax Lookout and Shelley Beach (managed by other stakeholders)
Project Innovation/Need
By deploying a new strategic movement strategy through a designed solution that is user-centric; the project design team have at the core, been able to further leverage the capital program of Sydney Harbour Federation Trust in opening up and old military base site and making an area that never designed for public access in the outset; accessible.
Key aspects to this successful outcome included redefining sub-precincts within the wider precincts, and utilising existing and newly created paths to effectively move users in and around the site with ease.
The new mapping structure at key decision points educate visitors and users the key paths of movement that were endorsed for each mode of movement, and the remainder of signage throughout the site sits at key decision paths of these routes.
For the market, it ensures they (users) can easily, and freely, move through a historic piece of Sydney Harbour based upon their desired need via the 'safest' routes. The designed solution also urged the relocation of key 'services' for the public (i.e.: VISITOR CENTRE) to align, and this was completed to ensure a seamless, consistent experience was realised.
Design Challenge
The design challenge set within the brief was quite a complex one; to minimise the QUANTITY of signage within the landscape (in order to reduce the amount of additional structure to the natural vista) whilst improving the EASE in visitors navigating themselves around the sites, via different routes, and by utilising different modes of movement (vehicular, cycling and pedestrian)
Doing so required us at the core, to be user-centric, and by using this as the benchmark throughout the entire design journey - it enabled us to deliver on this challenge.
Adopting a user-centric approach; first it was critical to understand how users viewed and used this particular site - how they entered from adjacent precincts and what they did within (at many points, it was getting lost)
We strategically redefined the user groups into two categories; business and leisure and developed journey flow mapping suited to each group, as well as mode of movement. The form of the signage suite then suited each of these requirements, and information design principles specific to the requirements was deployed, including a new map and an internationally recognisable iconography suite, complemented by distance travel times.
Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the design challenge combined with commercial reality put additional pressure in addressing sustainability within this project output.
Nonetheless; it was part of the brief, and it is part of the philosophy of the Best Group design studio. We were dealing with adding manufactured structure and form to the natural environment and landscape.
In addressing this concern, ideation (rather than innovation per say) was critical, and was deployed at all stages of the design journey.
Key aspects addressing sustainability that were achieved via our design solution include a reduced footprint of signage within the full site (in comparison to what was being removed/replaced), the use of reclaimed, locally sourced sandstone as part of the material palette which reflects the majority makeup/composition of landmass within the site, and notably, working with the appointed contractor on a new footing methodology.
This footing methodology required less site works, reduce the amount of penetration to the natural landform and provides Sydney Harbour Federation Trust with flexibility in ongoing maintenance and potential relocation (economically sustainable) for a site that is ever evolving due to the demand/requirements of user groups.
Tags
Wayfinding
This award celebrates creative and innovative design in the ways people orient themselves in physical space, and navigate from place to place. Consideration given to signage and other graphic communication, clues in the building's spatial grammar, logical space planning, audible communication, tactile elements and provision for special-needs users.
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