Perth’s Cathedral Square Reimagined Into a Playful Installation

Recently, during Perth Design Week 2024, the city’s Cathedral Square was renamed PRINCIPLES Square after an installation, which briefly took over the space, to commemorate the relaunch of a home furnishings collection that made its Australian debut. The commercial furnishings, designed by international architecture firm OMA and Italian furniture manufacturer UniFor, decorated the outdoor area while pulling focus as the festival’s central hub. “Perth Design Week has offered us a platform to further experiment with the flexibility of PRINCIPLES,” says Philippe Braun, Associate, OMA. “The range of public activities at PRINCIPLES Square and the public’s various ways of interacting with the furniture have stimulated us to further explore how the collection can be applied beyond the typical workplace.”

The collection can be used in any number of ways to support the needs of today’s contemporary workplaces and their ever-shifting accommodations. Included are more than 100 different sized pieces that can be endlessly reconfigured – including upholstered islands, curved partition panels, and seating modules. Whether your space calls for individual areas or a place to congregate, PRINCIPLES is up to the task of creating a unique interior landscape.

PRINCIPLES Square was put into play in Perth to share the collection’s versatility through an in-person experience. Islands shaped like squares, circles, triangles, and even a donut, invited attendees to take a break or meet up with others. A reading room was created using curved partition panels that formed a structure onto which shelving could be hung. Throughout the space, seating modules acted as sofas while cleverly dividing the movie screening zone from an area conducting workshops, which was outfitted with desks and tables.

OMA and UniFor began their shared work on PRINCIPLES in 2018, with the collection having since been reengineered into its current modular, customizable iteration. The process included exploring tech and material options that could stand up to the everyday wear-and-tear of commercial furniture. In the end, the team opted for high-tech sportswear fabric, thick color core laminates, and micro-perforated sheet metal that was specially designed for acoustic performance surfaces. One thing is for certain, PRINCIPLES brings together the best of both brands, OMA’s design prowess and UniFor’s manufacturing expertise, for an endlessly creative and multifunctional commercial system.

To learn more about PRINCIPLES, visit UniFor.it.