Diadem designed and delivered a comprehensive wayfinding and signage system for 500 Bourke, a major Melbourne CBD commercial tower, before extending the design language into Plaza Eats, a new food and beverage precinct.
Client | IFM Investors |
| CBRE | |
Architects | Fender Katsalidis |
Traditional custodians | Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung |
Photography | Tam Do |
The significant commercial tower in the centre of Melbourne, 500 Bourke, has been transformed from a late-1970s building into a contemporary, experience-led workplace and lifestyle destination with architecture by Fender Katsalidis.
Diadem was engaged to design and deliver a cohesive wayfinding and signage system to support the tower’s new brand across all spaces, including external arrival points, the ground plane, the lobby, mezzanine levels and basement car parks.
Diadem’s wayfinding strategy was grounded in user-centred design, mapping key journeys from the street to workplaces, retail choices and wellness destinations inside the tower. A clear information hierarchy supports diverse user groups, from daily occupants to visitors and service staff, ensuring intuitive navigation through the building’s multi-level environment.
The signage design reflected the architecture’s defining elements, from the distinctive waffle ceiling pattern and robust material palette to the refined interior finishes. A restrained, timeless graphic approach prioritises legibility and longevity over trend-based branding, with typography, pictograms and materials seamlessly integrated into the built environment.
Diadem delivered a full turnkey service spanning concept design, documentation, signage guidelines, procurement and delivery of the base build. This integrated approach enabled high-quality, buildable outcomes that aligned with the project’s commercial, operational and experiential objectives.
The result is a cohesive and forward-looking wayfinding system that elevates the tenant and visitor experience, supports the building’s new brand position in the market, and reinforces 500 Bourke as a premium destination in Melbourne’s evolving urban landscape.
Building on the success of the initial 500 Bourke wayfinding project, Diadem was engaged by CBRE to develop the signage suite into a retail activation strategy for the tower’s evolving precinct. The rear of the site was reimagined as an active ground plane, anchored by a new food-and-beverage plaza accessible via Little William Street.
Diadem developed a precinct name, brand and flexible suite of graphic elements that integrate with the tower’s established signage system. The concept draws directly from the building’s signature engraved grid motif, ensuring the activation feels inherent to the architecture rather than an overlay. Letterforms, arrows and pictograms are all generated from the same engraved grid, forming a playful yet familiar visual language.
With the building’s laneway and retail offering given a new identity, 500 Bourke is enjoying a second life as an engaging, civic-style destination that feels as though it has always belonged in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD.
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