Penguin Parade Visitor Centre : Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia

Architect/Designer: bohnstudio, crampton d+a
Fabrication/Installation: TS Constructions, South Coast Kitchens, Consolidated Graphics

The existing visitor centre, built in 1988, needed a total refresh. With only a limited budget, designers crampton d+a and bohnstudio decided to use eco friendly finishes wherever possible in the new fitout. Primarily, GEN-ECO PureBond maple plywood was used throughout for interpretive displays and wayfinding signage. A number of surface treatments were directly applied to the plywood: digital printing, stains and painted finishes. All other existing surfaces such as walls, ceilings and columns, were painted the same dark grey blue color of the penguin’s feathers to not only unify the backdrop but to make it recede. The finished result gave the interior spaces of the visitor centre, a spirited atmosphere highlighting the little penguin’s journey from “burrow to sea.”