Palmwoods Town Square: Delivering Community Identity through Creative Placemaking - Bespoke Urban Infrastructure

Bespoke Urban Design and Project Delivery

The Context

For decades, the physical centre of Palmwoods was defined by a sloping asphalt car park that offered utility but no community connection. The Sunshine Coast Council identified the need to transform this functional void into a genuine town square.

The challenge was not simply to build a modern park, but to deliver a “civic heart” that felt established and authentic. The community did not want a generic urban upgrade; they demanded a space that reflected the town’s timber-getting history and agricultural heritage. The mandate was to create new infrastructure that felt like it had been there for a century and fit with the historical buildings that surrounded it.

The Collaboration

POMO operated at the intersection of strategy and construction. We were engaged to bridge the gap between community aspirations, landscape architecture, and the fine-grain detail of physical delivery. Working alongside the lead landscape architects and engagement specialists Fourfold Studio, our role was to translate cultural narratives into tangible, creative outcomes that told stories of this place and its community. We took responsibility for the design, documentation, and construction management of the bespoke elements that gave the square its unique character.

Delivering Palmwoods: The Design & Implementation Process

Moving from a “placemaking strategy” to a certified build in a public place requires rigorous technical oversight. POMO managed the complex delivery of custom assets, ensuring every element met Australian Standards (AS1428) and RPEQ engineering certification while maintaining artistic integrity.

  • Engagement and Unlocking Local Narratives: POMO embarked on a detailed process of engagement with local community representatives and custodians of local history and knowledge. We documented a rigorous analysis of the culture, history, and contemporary identity of Palmwoods, which formed the basis of the design response.
  • Material-Led Storytelling: We knew bespoke fabrication would suit the creative spirit of this town and use of local materials would be a key part of that strategy. Utilising salvaged hardwood from the local railway line to construct heavy-duty seating was one example of this process. This material choice physically embedded the town’s timber-getting history into the site, ensuring the infrastructure felt authentic to the region’s industrial past rather than a modern imposition.
  • Embedded Cultural Narratives: We integrated the town’s founding story directly into the hardscape through treatments using Piccabeen Palm and a range of quirky local stories. Founding pioneer families had their names etched into the timber deck, local flora was referenced in laser-cut panels in custom balustrades, and a central wayfinding sign created a link to nearby buildings and sites of historical significance. The standard suite of wayfinding signage was customised to better reflect local character and surrounding built form. This multi-layered approach moved storytelling permanently into the built fabric of the square, creating a “sticky” destination that rewards deeper exploration.
  • Supply Chain & Materiality: To ground the project in the town’s timber history, we secured rare hardwood salvaged directly from the local railway lines. This material was not merely decorative; we engineered it into heavy-duty street furniture that can withstand intense public use, effectively embedding the railway narrative into the physical fabric of the site.
  • Local Manufacturing & Artisan Collaboration: We rejected off-the-shelf solutions in favour of local capacity building. POMO coordinated with local artisans and makers to hand-forge bespoke iron brackets and detailing for the seating and signage. It also referenced local history where a blacksmith once operated on the site. Additionally, we utilised waterjet cutting technology to fabricate balustrading featuring the local flowering eucalypt, merging industrial precision with organic regional motifs that also rimmed the nearby landscape.

The Impact

The Palmwoods Town Square has become a benchmark for regional community-involved placemaking and urban revitalisation in Queensland.

  • Industry Recognition: The project’s success in blending heritage with modern utility was recognised with the AILA Qld Award of Excellence for Civic Landscape, a further AILA award for Community Benefit, and an AILA National Gold for Civic Design.
  • Economic Activation: By replacing a car park with a high-quality pedestrian realm, the project has increased dwell time and foot traffic for surrounding businesses, proving that creative urban infrastructure acts as a driver for the local micro-economy.
  • Cultural Ownership: The use of local materials and makers created an immediate sense of stewardship. The community treats the infrastructure not as council assets, but as local heirlooms.

Does your regional centre need a delivery partner who understands the role of community, how to interconnect the complex dots, and move from concept to completion?

Sustainability Outcomes

Social Sustainability Outcomes:

  • Strengthened Local Identity and Sense of Place: The project’s commitment to referencing local history in its design elements is a powerful way to embed the town’s unique character into its central public space. This moves beyond a generic design, fostering a stronger connection between residents and their town and reinforcing community pride.
  • Enhanced Community Ownership and Custodianship: By focusing on delivering “practical community needs,” the design is immediately useful and relevant to residents’ daily lives. This practicality, combined with a design that reflects their history, encourages a feeling of ownership, which can lead to better care for the space and a reduction in anti-social behaviour.
  • Local Economic Development and Skill Preservation: The direct collaboration with local craftspeople and artisans is a significant social outcome. It keeps project funds circulating within the local economy, supports small businesses, and validates and preserves traditional skills that exist within the community, making them a visible and celebrated part of the town’s identity.

Environmental Sustainability Outcomes:

  • Reduced Embodied Energy and Carbon Footprint: The primary environmental benefit highlighted is the use of “locally sourced materials.” This significantly reduces the project’s carbon footprint by minimizing transportation emissions (known as “food miles” for materials). It avoids the high energy consumption associated with long-haul freight from other regions or countries.
  • Support for a Sustainable Local Economy: Sourcing materials locally encourages and supports sustainable land management practices and responsible resource extraction within the region. It provides a direct economic incentive for local suppliers who are managing their resources in an environmentally conscious way.

Contact POMO to discuss how we can work with you to turn your vision into reality.



Read next: Winter Street Pocket Park

Construction of the Palmwoods Town Square time lapse - video footage by the Sunshine Coast Council.

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