The Sydney Design Awards provides recognition and celebrates the creativity and courage of those who are leading the way. Earlier this year we became proud GOLD Winners in the Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit and Set Design category, for our design, build and project management of the Akuna Vista Sales Centre in Schofields.
Project Innovation/Need:
Sales offices, especially those selling land estates, can be underwhelming from the customer’s perspective. This shortfall is particularly relevant given the high value purchase required by the customer and the need on many occasions to sell a ‘vision’ of a home or community that does not yet exist.
Many sales offices are small with a couple of cheap desks, occupied by a bored salesperson who just wants to off-load the land as quickly as possible. We challenged this norm for Akuna Vista. The space was designed to be welcoming and warm with richly detailed renders to illustrate what the land estate will look like and what it could be like living there in the future. With no obvious sales consultant desk in the main display space, the prospect is encouraged to browse the entire space without feeling any pressure to purchase.
The small internal space was increased by dressing the outdoor deck area with outdoor lounge setting so sales conversations can happen in the lovely outdoor space. Children have their own dedicated entertainment space within the sales office, so they can make their own fun while their parents are talking with the sales consultant. A comfortable discussion space has been created to encourage visitors to linger, have a coffee and review the home and land packages showcased via a touchscreen.
Design Challenge
For such a relatively compact space, the biggest design challenge for Akuna Vista was to display all the key information pieces within a logical customer journey without overwhelming them with marketing messages on every available wall surface.
Throwing up all information on a wall is easy – the greater challenge is to act with restraint, carefully and strategically selecting images and text that will help the customer have their questions about the development answered without creating confusion by competing messages and a cavalcade of information.
At Akuna Vista, we highlighted key messages with 3D treatments, installed collateral holders on timber panels, framed render images to highlight them and then used the logo motif as a wallpaper treatment, bringing the brand and the brand promise to life on the walls so the customer was immersed in the vision for Akuna Vista.
The understanding of the Akuna Vista offer and community was paramount and much design time and effort was put into ensuring that all messaging and imagery was a help and not a hindrance to the customer in deciding that Akuna Vista would be their future home.
Sustainability
The Akuna Vista Sales Centre will be used over a number of years as the development will be sold in stages. To ensure a long lifespan the office has to be robust to endure several site moves when the cabin is picked up and relocated within the development, rather than trashing each building and fit out and starting again in a new location. Therefore materials used in the sales office were chosen for their durability and hardiness. This meant that components could be reused time after time again, without the need to constantly build additional materials to create new fit out items.
The graphics that are flagged to be updated each launch are easy-to-change-out panels to ensure the most cost-effective method of repeat printing but not have to replace an entire graphic wall when a new project stage is released.
Furniture and fittings were selected for long-wearing, low fumes, lower carbon-footprint and use of sustainable packaging or recyclable components.
A Successful Outcome:
The Akuna Vista Sales Centre has been an outstanding success with the sales agent noting ‘the layout and size is perfect, the high level of presentation and functionality make it a welcome place to operate, while the casual breakout areas promote lingering which is conducive to longer, more productive conversations with customers’.
The Sydney Design Awards GOLD Team:
Project Manager: Celeste Conroy
Graphics Manager: Kate O’Shea
Project Support: Trina Dowling, Nicky Schreiber, Emma Williamson
WHS: Trina Dowling
Estimator: Lisa Travers
Designer: Peter Whatmough
