Stages 5 and 6 of Richlands Square Marketplace which includes restaurants, cafes, fresh food outlets and other convenience shopping as part of a vibrant retail and commercial precinct on Garden Road, Richlands, 16km southwest of Brisbane CBD.
The POWE Architects design for Richlands Square Marketplace responds to Pod Developments vision for the site; the same developers who are also the driving force behind the Richlands Square Home centre directly opposite. The Stage 1 GYG fast food outlet opened recently to great local support and Stage 2 is soon to commence construction.
Coloured vertical blades are incorporated into the gateway corner feature of Richlands Square Marketplace, addressing the high volume traffic to the roundabout intersection and anchoring the high point of the site. This corner feature provides variation to the façade treatment and introduces a dynamic light and shade effect during the day which becomes an attractive light feature at night. In addition, glazing elements and more domestic scale materials and colours have been introduced into the main building forms, providing a backdrop for the centre signage.
The scale of this corner feature deliberately contrasts with the finer-grained, lower entry statements, located further along both primary frontages. These two main entries to the centre provide a human scale sense of arrival with full accessibility and, in the case of Garden Road, direct access from the bus stop. This approach to site access is considered essential to the primary retail function of the centre and to pedestrian customer convenience. The use of more residential forms, fine grain battening and the choice of tactile elements of brick and timber introduce an intimate quality to these spaces, reinforcing them as entry statements and enticing customers to extend their stay.
Similar projects the POWE Team have delivered include:
To DA: Narangba Heights Retail Centre
To completion: Horizon Retail Centre, Wellington Point