Sippy Downs Entrance Statement: Creating Place-Led Infrastructure

The Context

Sippy Downs serves as the gateway to the Sunshine Coast’s primary knowledge precinct, housing the University of the Sunshine Coast and various schools. The challenge was to define this precinct through a compelling entry statement situated at a major intersection upgrade. The project required a design that not only marked a physical threshold but also articulated the area’s identity as a hub of education and biodiversity. This vision began in 2019 through an experimental co-lab established by the Sunshine Coast Council and a cross-disciplinary team of students from the University of the Sunshine Coast, generating the initial concepts for the site.

The Collaboration

POMO was engaged to bridge the gap between these early academic concepts and a finalised, constructible reality. We worked in close partnership with the Sunshine Coast Council to refine the strategic direction. Critical technical collaboration included working with lighting designer Rick Morrison of Light In Design to ensure the night-time legibility of the infrastructure. This project highlights our ability to take stakeholder-generated ideas and apply the rigour required for public infrastructure delivery.

Delivering Sippy Downs: The Implementation Process

Our role focused on the technical translation of local narratives into durable, engineered urban elements. We moved beyond aesthetic decoration to deliver functional assets rooted in the specific geometry and history of the place.

  • Parametric Design & Fabrication: The signature seating element was developed using precise mathematical coordinates mapped from the outstretched wings of a Goshawk in flight. This complex geometry required careful detailing to ensure structural integrity while achieving the visual intent.
  • Technical Lighting Integration: We engineered a sub-surface lighting system in collaboration with Light In Design. This lighting makes the heavy concrete seat appear to float at night, requiring precise coordination of electrical conduits and fixture housing within the civil works.
  • Materiality & Narrative Integration: We delivered bespoke botanical signage featuring hand-sketched drawings of local flora by a local artist, ensuring durability in the outdoor environment. Furthermore, standard waste infrastructure was transformed into storytelling assets, with garbage bins featuring narratives of local students’ educational journeys.
  • Interpretive Design Solutions: A dedicated history sign was detailed to narrate the evolution of Sippy Downs, from Indigenous inhabitation to the present day. This required the synthesis of historical data into a visual format that meets accessibility and durability standards for public domain infrastructure.

The Impact

The Sippy Downs Entry Statement has successfully established a visual brand for the precinct, transforming a generic intersection into a landmark.

  • Measurable Identity: The structure provides a clear “sense of arrival” that was previously absent, assisting wayfinding and precinct recognition.
  • Social Value: By integrating student narratives into custom bin enclosures and botanical signage, the project delivered measurable social ownership.
  • Award Winning: Gold for the 2022 AILA Landscape Architecture Award (QLD) in the infrastructure category.
  • Economic Value: The project demonstrates how creative infrastructure can elevate the perception of a precinct, adding value to the surrounding residential and commercial developments.

Sustainability Outcomes

Environmentally Sustainable Outcomes

  • Inspired by Local Nature: The entire design is founded on the natural environment of the area. The name ‘Sippy’ is derived from the Aboriginal word for ‘winged creatures,’ and the design reflects this theme.
  • Celebration of Local Wildlife: The main wing-like sculptures are inspired by the Goshawk, a bird found locally, with the design intentionally “replicating nature’s imperfections.”
  • Use of Natural and Local Materials:The structure incorporates timber that was locally sourced and shaped by hand, softening the structure and referencing natural elements.
  • Focus on Local Flora: The project includes botanical signs with hand-sketched drawings by a local artist that showcase the local flora of the Sippy Downs area.
  • Considered Lighting Design: The lighting was specifically designed to be subtle and not overpower the structure or the surrounding natural area at night.

Socially Sustainable Outcomes

  • Strengthening Local Identity: The project creates a bold and unique gateway that defines the identity of Sippy Downs as the Sunshine Coast’s “knowledge precinct,” home to the University of the Sunshine Coast.
  • Community Collaboration and Education: The design was the result of a “co-lab” between the Sunshine Coast Council and University of the Sunshine Coast students. This process provided students with valuable practical experience and professional skills while allowing them to contribute to their community.
  • Storytelling and Placemaking: The installation tells the story of the area through various elements:
    • Custom garbage bins feature stories from local students about their educational experiences.
    • A historical sign details the history of Sippy Downs from its Indigenous inhabitation to the present day.
  • Award-Winning Design: The project’s success in creating a meaningful place was recognized when it won the AILA QLD Landscape Architecture Award for Infrastructure in 2022.
  • Artistic and Creative Expression: Described as a “complete place-anchored project,” it combines artistic design with purposeful outcomes that speak to the creative spirit of the Sunshine Coast.
Read next: Dura Gunga (First Nations Sculpture)

Night View

Artist drawn botanical sign

Daytime view

Night view with bird wing seat in foreground

Artist drawn botanical sign

Historical sign

Custom bins with local stories

Night view with bird wing seat in foreground

Prototyping the concept through model making

Early model making to explore the idea

Seat design - early sketching

Protyping the botanical signs

Timber embellishments -early sketching

Testing the model and developing the design

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