Falls Creek Resort Management asked ID/Lab to develop a wayshowing strategy and the signage performance specifications that would meet the needs of this four seasons resort.

In preparation for our tender response, we conducted a preliminary survey of the village. It was clear that the existing signage hardware was a collection of individually designed and implemented structures. The directional signage confused more than it informed, and there was no system to what information was provided where and how.

The wayshowing and signage strategy had two main challenges. Firstly, the extreme topography of the village created 

challenging and counter-intuitive pathways for visitors, and secondly, the processes, facilities and visitor profiles change dramatically between the summer and winter seasons.

The wayfinding strategy simplifies many of the typical pedestrian journeys within the village by formalisation of existing vertical access routes.

These routes are designed to create logical and more efficient pathways providing a better fit with people’s innate navigational strategies, and in some instances provide an alternative to the complex arrivals and departures experienced during the winter months.

After developing a detailed performance specification, we engaged an industrial designer and devised a solution that minimises the manufacturing, transport, energy and emissions impacts.

This design structure features a modular system of recyclable, cast aluminium components that fit around a standard street pole.

These modules hold replaceable information panels that can be seasonally changed with efficiency. The entire system can be assembled and disassembled on site, reducing heavy transportation costs.