SPARK Furniture have transformed the courtyard entrance to the renowned Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Design.
In collaboration with landscape architecture firm Openwork, the design is an aesthetically pleasing alternative to the concrete bollard impact barrier, placed to protect pedestrians at risk of vehicles entering the plaza at speed.
The design, modelled on a paving motif present in the existing plaza, is informed through multiple 3D point cloud scans of the stepped and sloping courtyard.
The unique installation consists of over 430 individually machined and curved Accoya timber slats, mounted on a stepped sheet metal frame. At 8 metres in diameter, the elliptical bollard is a commanding solution to pedestrian safety.
The Accoya timber is finished with a treatment by SiOO:x to help accelerate the transformation of Accoya’s vanilla tones into a natural silver patina, encouraging the bollard to blend in with the metal and concrete greys of its surrounding city environment.
Landscape Architects: Openwork
Design, manufacture, installation: SPARK Furniture.
Timber suppliers (of Accoya): Ridgewood c/o Britton Timbers.
Sheet metal supply: Rowlands Metalworks.
Photography: Michael Findlay Photography. and Peter Bennetts Photography
