Studio 505’s Textured Wintergarden Facade in Brisbane is Inspired by Nature

Melbourne-based design firm <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/studio-505/">Studio 505</a> is known for its eco-friendly buildings and complex, richly-textured facades. The firm recently designed <a href="http://inhabitat.com/pixel-building-australias-first-carbon-neutral-building-is-now-complete/">the Pixel Building</a>, a colorful, zero-energy building that looks pixelated from afar, and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/delta-tower-carbon-neutral-wooden-complex-to-be-australias-first-passive-house/">the Delta Tower</a>, a carbon-neutral tower made largely of wood. Now, the Australian firm has completed another ambitious project that involved adding a brightly colored, multi-layered facade to a Brisbane shopping mall that was inspired by the shadows and geometries found in nature.

The 43,000-square-foot Wintergarden Façade features a complex new steel screen with a web-like structure.

The team describes the pastel-colored facade as "a study of nature, geometry and layering that communicates the rich diversity of life."

Taking the nature theme a step further, Studio 505 added several large steel butterflies to the facade, adding some depth to the sculptural building.

Viewed in the context of nearby trees, the intersecting lines on the facade appear to resemble the complex shadows created by tree branches.

At night, the new facade is lit up, creating an entirely different experience.

The complex structure of the facade is composed of four layers -- three separate layers of cladding and one layer of still grillage -- which are attached to a large steel frame on the building's exterior.