Bland Design!

Imagine A New Look For artsdepot

artsdepot celebrated its 20th anniversary with a vibrant workshop led by Edgy Collective, aimed at gathering public input to enhance the building's exterior and make it more inviting. Despite its high-quality facilities, artsdepot's uninviting appearance and poor wayfinding detract from its cultural value.

The initiative involved three engaging activities—speaking, painting, and making—catering to diverse expression styles and encouraging contributions from over 100 local participants. The resulting ideas is showcased in a temporary display within the café, ensuring ongoing community engagement and dialogue about the future of artsdepot as a vibrant cultural hub.

The engagement workshop illuminated valuable insights from the local community on enhancing artsdepot's exterior. Participants expressed a strong desire to revitalise the building's grey façade with bold elements like murals, projections, and natural features such as greenery and water. Recommendations emphasised improving wayfinding and signage to enhance visibility and approachability, as well as creating sheltered areas, better lighting, and comfortable seating for outdoor enjoyment. There is also a notable interest in incorporating more greenery and biophilic design to promote tranquility. The workshop underscored the need for playful, interactive features to engage diverse visitors, including neurodivergent families, while suggesting that the lobby could become a more dynamic space. Additionally, enhancing the café's offerings and visibility was identified as crucial for attracting a broader audience.

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A report summarising the engagement methodologies, outcome analysis, and selected interviews and reflections was created for future reference.

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Client and host

artsdepot

Engagement facilitators

Edgy Collective

Photographers

Adrienne Lau and Jane Lam

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