Innovation House, Mawson Lakes

The public face of Technology Park; the gateway to the Mawson Lakes precinct

Innovation House was built as the public face of Technology Park at the gateway to its Mawson Lakes precinct. It is the first point of contact for visitors, guests, and potential participants in the development of technology-focused businesses that Technology Park was established to foster. It provides business tenancies, services and amenities, and conference and administration facilities. The passage of time, however, and the growth of Mawson Lakes, had changed the dynamic at Technology Park. Public and visitor facilities were showing wear and tear; the public face was tired, the gateway lacked inspiration. 

Tectvs' approach to the redevelopment of the entry precinct and interior public spaces of Innovation House was to minimise alterations to the existing structure and services. It was a value-adding strategy to maintain existing infrastructure and focus design activity and budget on space and identity. The design intent was to reinvent the facility as a truly South Australian “innovation experience.” A multidisciplinary display area would have an interpretive function and promote corporate identity through collaborative artworks, and industrial and graphic design elements throughout the building. It would be a visual representation of the core message of Innovation House and the South Australian identity, highlighting contemporary South Australian achievement through identity packages, exhibition graphics, and publications. Creative, interactive, and educational. Tectvs constructed a more interesting ‘path’ through the long public space of the interior and made a more overt visual connection with the lake outside. It created a new life with new finishes and colours. The new entry was addressed to Mawson Boulevard, restoring Innovation House’s gateway identity and sense of arrival. It was positioned in proximity to the conference facilities to provide flexibility for displays and allow multifunctional use.