This experiential ‘retail as theatre’ concept has attracted worldwide attention; the interactive environment created to be part store, part carnival arcade, and part hands-on museum style exhibit.
IN BRIEF
Create a retail space that immerses customers in a total sensory experience dedicated to optometry. And, ambitiously, ‘redefine the eyecare industry’.
ARCHITECT’S WORDS
Covering 1,500 sqm, the stunning splitlevel design incorporates brand new interactive technology and immersive experiential design. Based loosely on the shape of an eye, OPSM Eye Hub is a groundbreaking store that crosses the leisure, health, retail nexus. It features state of the art medical technology; interactive product testing; forty one touch screens; wind and glare simulators; a kids education zone and seven themed optometry rooms.
The Eye Hub ‘Vault’ is a cylindrical structure with a luxurious inner chamber and re-skinnable super graphics exterior that dominates the ground floor space. Its curved shape helps display the largest selection of frames and lenses anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mindful of the obvious fact that many clients will have impaired vision, the wall and flooring colours are soft, yet helpfully contrasted. Internal signage is readable without being condescendingly large.
The interior colour and finishes palette were selected in order to be conducive to a relaxing, welcoming day spa, filtering this mood to the customer and tying it back to the idea of trust between the client and their customers.
Eye Hub’s design incorporates the use of various recycled as well as recyclable materials. This includes recyclable PET used for Ecopanels, recyclable terrazzo tiles from Sadler, pre-consumer recycled goat hair used in Tretford carpets, regenerated PVC compound used in 2tec2 woven vinyl flooring can also be recycled.
e2 installed nine true high definition plasma touch screens for promotion of brands and products in store. Trying out glasses on screen and a webcam is not new; but the fact that it is hidden in a seamless mirror surface makes it the first of its kind in Australia. An interactive wind and glare simulator allows customers to experience life-like conditions with the products they are testing.
ACCOLADES
• 2011 Best Retail Interior Design, Asia Pacific Property Awards
• 2011 Oracle Retail Awards, Store Design of the Year
• 2011, Store of the Future, Inside Retailing magazine
• 2011 Experiential Agency of the Year, B&T Awards
PRODUCTS
GLASS
GRAPHIC GLASS
IGLASS PTY LTD
ASG SPLASHBACKS
CARPET
GIBBON GROUP
FELTEX CARPETS
METAL
PARBURY
PLASTICS
ALLPLASTICS ENGINEERING
CASF AUSTRALIA
BARRISOL AUSTRALIA
RUBBER/LINOLEUM
SYNTHETIC GRASS AND RUBBER SURFACES
FORBO FLOORING
STONE
SMARTSTONE
TIMBER
EVENEER
TILES
SADLERSTONE
SKHEME
ROCKS ON - HARD SURFACE SOLUTIONS
ACADEMY TILES
PAINT
DULUX
ZINSER
WATTYL
LAMINATES
LINCOLN GROUP
LAMINEX
ABET
MIRRORS
GRAPHIC GLASS MIRRORS
UPHOLSTERY
AUSTEX INDUSTRIAL FABRICS
ROYLSTON HOUSE
KYADRAT MAHARAM
MOKUM
MATERIALISED
INSTYLE
SPECIAL FINISHES
WOVEN IMAGE
2TEC2
SCHOTT AUSTRALIA
PENTAGON INTERNATIONAL
ALTERNATIVE SURFACES
PASCO CONSTRUCTION SOLUTIONS
SIKA AUSTRALIA
