C-Square Precinct Wayfinding: Creating Legibility in Complex Urban Environments

The Context: Unlocking a Complex Precinct

Located in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, the C-Square precinct presented a significant urban design challenge. Characterised by a confusing “matrix” layout and difficult sightlines, the precinct suffered from low pedestrian permeability. Visitors were frequently unaware of key amenities, including a concealed elevator and transit connections, which directly impacted the economic viability of upper-level tenancies.

The challenge was not simply signage; it was a fundamental need to restructure the user experience. The precinct required a technical wayfinding strategy to demystify the environment, ensuring compliance with Australian Standards while creating a distinct sense of place that would encourage longer dwell times and economic exploration.

The Collaboration

POMO was engaged by the precinct owners to deliver a complete wayfinding solution. Our role was to ensure the wayfinding system integrated seamlessly with the existing built form while asserting a strong visual identity for the precinct.

Delivering C-Square: The Implementation Process

While the visual output is elegant, the core value of this project lies in the rigorous technical delivery that underpins the system. POMO moved beyond concept design to manage the complete fabrication and installation process.

• Evidence-Based Strategy: We executed a comprehensive public space study, analysing pedestrian metrics, decision points, and demographic behaviour over several months. This data informed a “human-centred” spatial strategy that mapped decision hierarchies against site constraints.
• Prototypes & Testing: To mitigate risk, full-scale prototypes were tested in situ. This allowed us to validate sightlines, legibility, and material performance against the precinct’s specific lighting conditions before final fabrication.
• Technical Detailing & Compliance: The project required precise construction documentation. We managed the material selection, prioritising recycled components and detailed the footing and fixing specifications to meet structural requirements.
• Regulatory Approval: POMO handled the engineering documentation and local government building approvals, ensuring all elements met RPEQ certification standards. Crucially, we audited the entire system for strict compliance with Australian Standards for mobility and accessibility, ensuring the precinct is navigable for elderly visitors and those with mobility impairments where practical.
• Creative Infrastructure: We treated large-scale graphics not as decoration, but as functional infrastructure. This included the design of “angled typography and forms” interventions specifically engineered to direct users to the concealed elevator, turning a blank wall into a primary navigational tool.

The Impact: Measurable Functionality

The C-Square wayfinding project demonstrates how strategic creative infrastructure can solve complex urban problems. By treating wayfinding as an system rather than an aesthetic add-on, we achieved:

• Enhanced Accessibility: A fully compliant environment that safely guides mobility-impaired users through previously difficult transitions.
• Economic Activation: Improved pedestrian flow to underutilised areas of the precinct, directly supporting tenancy visibility and turnover.
• Circular Economy: The delivery of a signage suite designed for 100% recyclability at end-of-life, reducing the precinct’s long-term environmental footprint.

Moving a public space user from one side of the matrix to another is a key reason why commercial property owners will engage designers and placemakers like POMO. The precinct owners engaged POMO and Deicke Richards Architects to generate ideas and strategies to turn this urban space into a vibrant place.

Existing built forms were used to serve as wayfinding features for custom made signs and environmental graphics.

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