Mt Sheridan Plaza, Cairns
This significant extension to an existing shopping centre includes three new entries, two major retailers and food court as well as new mall and specialty tenancies. Mt Sheridan Plaza is located between a major highway and a suburban context with a vegetated mountain backdrop. The design attempts to address different contextual scenarios whilst generating a singular expression and aesthetic continuity throughout.
A key element for achieving this is the use of the coloured 'ribbon' motif which reoccurs consistently at different scales and guises in entry features, awnings, bus stops, floor finishes, signage and proposals for mall + street furniture. Formally these ribbons notionally reference the landscape forms. In colour they take cues from the roadside context and references to highway signage. These 'follies' are inserted strategically in throughout the centre. The ribbon follies are dominant in areas of social interaction, are a key element in the defining a wayfinding process and collectively suggest a branding strategy for the centre.
Elsewhere (both internally and externally) the scheme is defined by a robust but refined palette of charcoal, grey and white which acts as backdrop to the expression of individual tenants rather than competition. Within this palette an alternative wayfinding hierarchy is apparent with different shades use to define pedestrian and non-pedestrian zones. The typical tilt panel construction is expressed honestly and 'tacked on' decorative additions are avoided. There has been a conscious attempt to integrate the internal and external environs through use of robust finishes (such as natural bluestone) which are apparent in both areas.
