Case Study: West Gate Tunnel Project
West Gate Tunnel Project As Australian urban centres continue to grow, so too does the need for connectivity, efficient infrastructure, and community engagement. Working closely with the West Gate Tunnel Project and local designers Micio, P4 presents the following case study on how considered design can be used to inform community members of, and encourage their engagement with, infrastructure projects.
“The Centre required dual functionality – an information centre and function room – which was incorporated by using P4 components. All items within the space needed to be easily moved or stored...so the space was flexible and seating could be re-arranged as required.” – Thomas Williams, Managing Director, Micio.
Around the country, rapid rates of urbanisation are changing the face of Australian city centres. The concentration of jobs, housing, and schools in urban centres has made connectivity between cities and suburbs more important than ever: infrastructure, roads, and transit links are in increasingly high demand. This is particularly true in cities such as Melbourne, where an estimated 74% of the commuting population drive to work, causing recurring traffic congestion and extended commute times. Against this backdrop, the West Gate Tunnel Project is a much-needed piece of urban infrastructure. Linking the West Gate Freeway to the CBD, the Tunnel is due for completion in 2022, at which point it is predicted to significantly reduce congestion and travel times and reroute thousands of trucks off residential streets. To complement the Tunnel, which is one part of a tripartite infrastructure project that includes the Monash Freeway Upgrade and Webb Dock access improvements, the West Gate Tunnel Project stakeholders commissioned the West Gate Tunnel Information Centre. Melbourne design practice Micio were tasked with designing and delivering the Centre within just 7 weeks, and set their
sights on creating a flexible, functional community space. “Our most challenging part of the project was simply the time frame,” says Thomas Williams, Managing Director of Micio, “From our initial meeting to walking offsite was just seven weeks.” Given the short timeline, Williams explained, a hand-sketched programme that he drafted after Micio’s initial meeting with the client, CPB Contractors and John Holland, soon became reality. Incorporating design in many forms including signage, interactive elements, custom joinery, and furniture, the Centre serves as both an information centre and function and presentation space for up to 50 people. High quality architectural finishes and a shared palette across cladding, graphics, and joinery and branding elements ensure a bright, cohesive space that both welcomes and educates. The client envisaged the Centre as a central meeting point for community members to learn about the specifics of the Tunnel Project and the employment opportunities it presents, and raise their concerns with key project stakeholders. To this end, Micio used a combination of bespoke and catalogue furniture solutions to create different environments; in the office space, custom joinery was
employed to create hot desks, while in the reception area a custom built reception desk provides space for 2 employees. At the rear of the space, an open plan education area – which doubles as the presentation and function room – incorporates creative signage solutions, moveable furniture, and media installations to evoke a sense of dynamism and transparency that mirrors the Tunnel Project. Indeed, the finished Centre is valuable reminder that connectivity in all its forms must always be underpinned by certain key elements: communication, transparency, and meaningful engagement of all users. In Detail If connectivity was one of the key values driving the West Gate Tunnel Information Centre, flexibility was the other. To enable seamless transitions between the Centre’s three uses (as a workspace, function/presentation space, and information centre), both the plan and furniture selection were carefully considered and designed for adaptability. Micio organised the Centre on a loose open plan that makes creative use of existing surfaces as opportunities for visual communications: floor signage explains the geography of the Project, while signage and a nine-screen audio visual hero wall tell the story of the project’s origins and the opportunities it provides.
To complement this holistic, interactive design approach, Micio specified a suite of flexible furniture – all of which can be easily moved and stored – from P4. In the Function Room, where ease of use was critical, stackable Starr 12 chairs provided a stylish and functional solution; fully recyclable and comprised of 63% recycled content, Starr 12 can be stacked on a purpose-built trolley for smooth, easy moving and storage. This pragmatic approach to flexibility is mirrored in the Information Centre, where plush Hoot Ottomans accommodate a range of seating configurations from solo to clustered. Combined with the colourful material palette, ample natural light, and various signage elements, the Ottomans shape a space that expertly straddles the line between community and educational space. This sense of duality echoes throughout the project, which also makes use of the ergonomic Coza task chair and Epoca EP3S seat to serve varied, if complementary, needs. Adapting effortlessly to fit the bodies of a diverse range of users, Coza enables comfort both during meetings and throughout the regular workday in a manner akin to Epoca EP3, which deftly blends simplicity, style, and functionality. Together, the furniture selection and integrated design approach function as a cohesive, unified whole that brings together community members and key stakeholders to both inform and inspire.
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