the retail level was conventionally reinforced to allow more flexibility in tenant layouts .
Optimising the design and cost of these decks was complicated by the open ground floor mall concept , which required large external planters and weather steps along complicated shopfront lines .
The main roof structure of the building comprised a mixture of reinforced concrete roofs to support mechanical plant , timber roofs on ring beams and structural steel roof on ring beams for the larger spans . The use of timber roof trusses , wherever possible , was to minimise the overall cost of the roof structure .
Another challenge was the late addition of the Barnyard Theatre on the first floor slab . This structure , with a mezzanine floor and walls of 7.5m high , caused loading considerably higher than the design loading of this slab . Solutions included hanging certain slabs from beams above , posttensioned slabs used to transfer load to column positions and mid-height beams to carry the mezzanine and reduce the load of brick walls onto the slab . to create a vibrant outdoor atmosphere where one can encourage that wonderful mix of the hustle and bustle of shoppers with the street cafes , fine dining with theatre or work with play that so fascinated and caught the imagination of the design team .
Willowbridge is that place which will hopefully establish its individuality , constantly reinvent itself and develop a patina and eclecticism as all high streets do over time .
CONCLUSION What makes Willowbridge so uniquely special apart from its being a successful commercial model , is that the design plays on all the human senses of touch ( natural material choices ), smell ( fresh coffee and cuisine ), sounds ( nature ) and sight ( views and detail ). The architecture has been consciously designed around the need to provide a warm and comfortable human scale experience that would immediately make people feel “ at home ”. It was this untapped and underlying potential to be innovative and courageous enough
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