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City of Sydney installation of QMS street furniture finally underway

QMS and City of Sydney have begun the installation of 340 new digital bus shelters, as part of an “architect-designed street furniture rollout”.

The rollout comes after several delays, as ongoing lockdows have provided multiple challenges in replacing JC Decaux street furniture, after the City of Sydney awarded QMS Media a ten year contract in June last year. 

The installation date has been delayed several times, with the JC Decaux contract being extended in the interim, however now the construction has begun, with new digital shelters featuring advertising screens displaying real-time event information, community updates and public safety messaging.

QMS Media’s Jemma Enright

QMS general manager for City of Sydney, Jemma Enright, said the company is excited to be working on the project, in which it is tasked with reinvigorating “Australia’s most premium and sought after street furniture network”.

“It is great news for marketers, agencies and the people who live, work and visit the city and we look forward to working closely with the City of Sydney to create something truly world-class for Sydneysiders.”

“The new street furniture network will set a new standard for function, accessibility and sustainability – and will be more advanced as an advertising network, with bigger displays optimised for visibility and attention, and significantly more digital panels for greater impact.”

Enright spoke about the challenges of the rollout on the Mumbrellacast in September. 

CEO of City of Sydney, Monica Barone said the new furniture wull transform the city’s streets, with the old furniture set to be recycled as part of a sustainability plan. Barone also said that much of the existing furniture is more than 20 years old, with this now presenting an “excellent oppurtunity to revamp and reshape” the city’s streets, further supporting Sydney’s recovery post-COVID.

“The contemporary sustainable and energy-efficient street furniture will make the city more accessible for more people to enjoy.

“A new long-term agreement with QMS Media will provide significant revenue to the City of Sydney, which will help us provide and maintain high quality services and public spaces.”

The ten year deal signed last year has an option for a five year extension attached. City of Sydney said that the construction work will be done in stages in order to minimise disruption across the 26-square km area.

The new shelters will offer more sun and rain protection and “better accessibility and comfort for people waiting at transport stops,” according to City of Sydney.

“The City of Sydney is also doubling the number of public toilets across the city, adding new information pylons with interactive touch screens and more streamlined kiosks, as well as installing more of the award winning benches and litter bins designed by Sydney firm, Tzannes.”

Andrew Cortese, managing partner of Grimshaw, the firm that designed the furniture said the designs are “functional and accessible” and that the aim was “to create a distinctive and elegant ensemble of street furniture that gives service and amenity to Sydney’s streets, its parks and the public realm”.

“This design affirms Sydney’s standing as a progressive and citizen-oriented city with continued investment in public infrastructure. The design is digitally enhanced, resolved to place, heritage and the natural landscape, and has an enduring materiality and resilience. It’s a design that is unique to Sydney.”

Last month, QMS unveiled a new-look, designed by agency Hulsbosch ahead of the City of Sydney rollout. This included a new brand strategy, positioning, logo and visual identity for QMS to “lead the business through its next evolution”.

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