A Surfers Paradise
Context
The year 1999 saw S+G in association with Belt Collins Landscape Architect Adrian McGregor (now principal at McGregor Coxall LA) were given the opportunity to develop a unique collection of Street Furniture for Surfers Paradise, Cavill Mall.
An exciting opportunity to create ideas based on all the things Coastal and associated with that iconic vacation hub.
Surfboards were an obvious choice, but shells, thongs, ice creams, sea birds, all found their way into the mix that became the shapes adopted for the furniture.
Considerations
The shapes for the furniture needed to be recognisable but also functional, a backdrop for tourist photos, strong given the space is an entertainment precinct.
Surfboard shapes are adopted for seats, shells for bollards, jellyfish for bins.
Tree grates represent waves and shells and you will see ice cream and thongs cast into their surface.
So the line between art and function is blurred, whilst materials choice, cast aluminium, Stainless steel were chosen for longevity in such a harsh environment.
Opportunities
Designs were hand-drawn by our principal David Shaw and developed by patternmaker Ian Murphy.
A far cry from how S+G now develop our ideas using state of the art Computer-Aided Design and fabrication.
But it shows our capability to conceive and execute our ideas from the outset of the company. We now have even better ways of seeing our inspiration changed into something for our clients to enjoy, as it was with Surfers Paradise CBD all those years ago.
We have always derived huge satisfaction from such opportunities to change the sense of space, the way it’s valued and used.
