When the asset owners of three major shopping centres in Melbourne and Canberra engaged Technē Architecture + Interior Design to redesign their properties, a key focus of the brief was to create enticing, immersive, community-focussed spaces or ‘dwell zones’ that engaged shoppers and visitors in meaningful ways.

Having designed for diverse sectors, Technē applied their expertise to revitalise these shopping centres – Watergardens and Canberra Centre for QIC, and Box Hill Central South for Vicinity – through a series of hospitality-inspired refurbishments that target public realm spaces.

Technē’s innovative design approach informed by hospitality, art, engineering and sustainability blur the lines between vibrant transactional spaces and leisure-focussed environments at these shopping centres. By innovatively using space, evocative colour palettes, dynamic textures and tactile furniture, the design firm has created multisensory ‘dwell zones’ within vibrant dining precincts, encouraging social interaction and community connection.

“Post pandemic, asset managers understand that visitors are now seeking a greater sense of community engagement, social interaction and stimulation beyond the normal shopping centre experience. They are looking for a more holistic social and lifestyle experience that thoughtful public spaces across a precinct can nurture,” says Technē co-founding director, Justin Northrop.

Technē’s refurbishment of Watergardens (Victoria) for QIC involved a repositioning of the existing outdoor dining precinct, as well as the introduction of five new tenants, refreshed facades, upgrades to public spaces, and new children’s play areas. The attractive material palette combines with atmospheric lighting at night to reactivate the centre’s Station Street Precinct, creating a dynamic new community-focussed hub.

Technē also transformed the ‘dwell zones’ leading to the Tiger Lane dining hall at QIC’s Canberra Centre (Canberra) from a traditional uninspired daytime-driven retail mall to an energetic hospitality-driven day and night-time experience. Complementing the high-impact energy of the nearby hawker-style dining precinct, Technē’s updates merged various elements through seamless indoor-outdoor integration encompassing lush landscape design, cohesive colour palettes, furniture pods, and a range of community amenities.

“Our approach for creating these ‘dwell zones’ was informed by hospitality design principles. This includes a focus on user comfort and experience, creating an atmosphere through bespoke details, and achieving an intimate aesthetic that sits between the thoroughfare spaces, functionality also being a key driver,” adds Technē associate, Bianca Baldi.

Technē’s refurbishment of public realm spaces across Box Hill Central South (Victoria) for Vicinity emphasises the shopping centre's identity as a thriving multicultural community hub. Updates to its West End Mall reflect a refreshingly futuristic design aesthetic, expressed through urban colour palettes, metallic finishes and tactile surfaces, all of which help re-energise retail services and community ‘hang-out’ spaces for locals and commuters.

“It’s clear that these people-centred ‘dwell zones’ that cater for different activities and different-sized groups are a key solution to revitalising shopping centres, blending tenancy and public spaces in innovative ways that engage visitors across the community,” concludes Northrop.

Branko Miletic

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