Site Case Studies

Building Category: Civic
Essential to the spirit of this venture was the preservation of both the delicate rainforest and the cultural heritage it sustains. Innovative engineering was paired with a sensitive concern for this wilderness. This averted environmental damage during construction – and the design also minimises any risk of future harm in the event that the facility requires maintenance or repair works.
Building Category: Civic
Hinchinbrook Island is renowned as one of the world’s most outstanding island National Parks. Small areas of the island have been opened for visitor access in limited numbers. The main access to Hinchinbrook Island is by water taxi from Cardwell to Missionary Bay. From there, visitors access Ramsay Bay and the Thorsborne Trail by way of the Ramsay Bay Boardwalk which takes visitors through mangroves to the sand spit at the back of the Ramsay Bay beach. This makes the Ramsay Bay boardwalk a key piece of infrastructure in the context of this very important National Park. 
Building Category: Commercial
The family owned Skyrail was conceived in 1987. It was proposed that a 7.5 km long cableway, the longest in the world at the time, be constructed in the rainforest from Caravonica to Kuranda. The developers were committed to delivering an environmentally sustainable tourist attraction that allows a unique interaction with the rainforest in an environmentally friendly way.
Building Category: Institutional
Located within the Daintree World Heritage Area, the Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO) is an environmentally sensitive research facility consisting of labs, conference facilities for 100 people, flexible covered and protected outdoor spaces and various accommodation options for up to 56 staff, researchers and groups. Designed with the tropical climate at the forefront of the decision making process, the DRO is a world-class facility that enables world-class research by James Cook University (JCU) students and national and international researchers.