Project Overview

Republic is a place to bid farewell to the past and be immersed in the aspiration-fuelled Canberra of tomorrow. Every corner offers a thriving modern community whose collective eyes are focussed firmly ahead, injecting a vibrant new dynamism into urban living for generations to come.

This is no place for the status quo. Republic is built upon an unashamedly ambitious desire to reshape the very fabric of residential Canberra by challenging conventions and expectations. The result is a rich new definition of contemporary living that celebrates community and lifestyle and overlays it with unrivaled value for money.

Organisation

GEOCON

 

Team

GEOCON
There Studio
Binyan Studios
Aston Shuffle
Newcast Studio

Project Brief

GEOCON wanted to challenge everything. The brief was - reshape what is possible and create a brand for an iconic Canberra building with beautiful new places for generations to come. The aim is to evolve Canberra from a big country town into a proud, vibrant, and truly international city.

Republic was developed to define a GEOCON legacy. It is a series of vertical villages of uncompromised design. When complete, Republic will boast Canberra’s most breathtaking assembly of private and public spaces, punctuated by five striking residential towers overlooking Lake Ginninderra. Including construction of the tallest residential tower in Canberra, at 27 storeys, proudly topped by a public observation facility, meaning everyone can enjoy the views from this building. Eventually, 2000 people will call Republic home.

Project Innovation/Need

Republic is about more than just buying an apartment. It’s an invitation to an exciting contemporary lifestyle that reflects Canberra’s future.
The intensive process employed for Republic, and all of Geocon’s marketing campaigns, determines the best collateral and channels to connect the buyer profiles to the sales process and facilitate the sale. In this case, the campaign materials focussed on the seamless indoor to outdoor lifestyle offered by Republic. The film created in collaboration with the internationally-renowned electronic duo, The Aston Shuffle showcased this lifestyle in a way that played out like a fashion brand piece rather than a typical real estate development piece.
The Aston Shuffle's Vance Musgrove and Mikah Freeman worked closely with the Republic design team to optimise the acoustic and entertainment experiences for residents and visitors alike, creating ideal sound configurations for residential apartments and hotel rooms. They have also curated music and sound installations for public spaces. Read more here https://geocon.com.au/news-archive/the-aston-shuffle-and-apartments-design-for-sound/

Design Challenge

This is no place for the status quo. The Republic master plan is built upon an unashamedly ambitious desire to reshape the very fabric of residential Canberra by challenging conventions and expectations. So when Geocon was ready to take Republic to market, the brief was equally ambitious. Marketing agency THERE creatively responded with a simple but bold vision. They wanted to create a campaign that had flexibility and longevity to communicate through the development stages. Thus they took the opportunity to adopt
a vibrant colour scheme, a strong graphic logo device and art direction that informed the brand campaign – all whilst working within the constraints of the Geocon master brand. There Studio used the logo as a moving infographic device to aid easy communications and create continuity through all the campaign materials.

Effectiveness

An exhilarating vision delivered an impressive result. Designing the right tools to attract and engage buyers for Republic led to impressive, higher than expected sales results.
Additionally, the display suite, its size, location, and inclusion of digital sales tools have enabled a truly immersive experience. An app was created for the development, assisting both agents and buyers to access real-time information anywhere, anytime. The creation of an enduring Republic brand will support future staged releases and continue to build the new precinct’s identity, encouraging buyers and locals to embrace the new way of living in Belconnen.
GEOCON sold 25% of the project the week it announced Republic’s plans. From that point forward consistent sales took place, positive market adoption occurred and a general buzz for the placemaking development has continued.