Friday, 15 December 2017

Industry Profile: Don Macdonald - "The Preparation of the Walls"






Previously we shared how the background experiences helped prepare Don Macdonald and The Orchid Group^ team for The Shields Street Heart Mosaic project, and last week we saw the tendering process. This week the site works begin.

The City of Cairns is the largest regional commercial centre in Far North Queensland in Australia.  The climate is tropical and is well known internationally as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef hosting over 2 million tourists a year.  The Cairns Regional Council embarked upon a forward thinking upgrade to the heart of the city with a revamp of Shields Street. The mosaic installation was only a small part of the $22 million upgrade.

The Orchid Group’s base, in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, is some 1600km (1000 miles) from Cairns.  Undertaking the Shields Street Mosaic project was in itself a logistical challenge.  As Don explains, “Taking a team on the road is a costly exercise, especially if you’re travelling a great distance to a regional centre where access to your normal suppliers is restricted”.

Don had encouraged Council to specify LATICRETE as the materials supplier because of his long association with the company.  He was confident in their range of products, their superior performance characteristics and their complete system approach which was what he needed to support him in completing such an iconic artwork in a difficult climate and in a high exposure public location. Click here to continue reading. 

Next time, "The Artists".

Contact us on 1800 331 012 for technical support, arrange a demo, free samples, a trade event, or to discuss your next project or contact us here.

Our Holiday Schedule is now available to be viewed here.

^The Orchid Group is also known as Symmetry Mosaics.

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