KFC Huntlee

Brief: Form 4 Architects were engaged at an early stage, which included analysis of site selection and advice on the feasibility of having a fast food restaurant based on site surroundings and site analysis.

Subsequently, Form 4 Architects did the concept design, obtained DA approval and construction drawings and oversaw construction on site until the end of the defects period.

Points of difference: Overall, the project ran smoothly, with minor issues to overcome, such as:

• Bush fire zone — Upon our initial analysis of the site, we realised that the site was located in a bush fire zone and that the building could not be placed in the preferred location (based on better visibility for pedestrians and vehicular traffic passing by). This resulted in our recommendation to situate the building in the next best possible location on site and systematically place signage to obtain the best visibility and outcome.
• Topography — The site’s existing and adjacent topography resulted in water flowing through the proposed site onto the council’s stormwater collection. We understood the harm it could cause later, which resulted in us taking measures to address the issue even before work started on-site.
• Constant tweaking of design to obtain a better outcome — As there will always be areas to improve based on changing site conditions, we constantly assessed and updated the design to obtain a better design outcome.

The project’s duration from inception to completion (including DA approval, Construction Certificate approval & construction) was nearly a year. As the suburb had developed over this period and the secondary road developed more than expected, we updated the orientation of signage to suit the current conditions and obtain the best visibility.