Case study — experience & spatial design
One Development — Laguna groundbreaking, 2024
A media-facing groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction on One Development's Laguna residence, staged on the project's own plot on 18 December 2024. I set the concept and guest journey and led the team to deliver a fully branded, immersive experience from arrival to the commemorative dig. My role: creative director & art director — concept, direction, and leading the team to execution.
Client
One Development
Event / location
Laguna construction plot
Year
2024
My role
Creative & art director
Agency
Elements ME
Deliverable
Concept, art direction & team lead
The brief
One Development needed a groundbreaking ceremony to announce construction of its Laguna residence in front of the media, reinforcing the brand's credibility and carrying momentum from a successful sales launch. I shaped the event as one continuous, fully branded guest journey on the live plot and led the team to deliver it, concept to execution.
Tone
Branded · immersive · celebratory
Palette ref
Brand colours · lilac · purple accents
Structure
Eight-stage linear journey
Visitor journey
01
Arrival - Flagged approach
02
Structure - Dome tent
03
Entrance - Branded immersion
04
Event area - Bar & signing
05
Walkway - Floral arches
06
Groundbreaking - Commemorative dig
07
Entertainment - Live moments
08
Hostesses - Branded welcome
01 — Arrival
(approach)
Branded route · LED valet · arrival
Arrival
I set the arrival as a branded approach that begins before guests step out of the car. I lined the route with flags leading to the valet drop-off, with an LED feature marking the point of arrival. It signals the event's scale and brand from the first moment and hands guests cleanly into the journey ahead.
Route flags
LED feature
Valet drop-off
Branded approach
Design decision: I branded the route before the entrance so the experience starts the moment guests arrive, not once they're inside.
Format
Branded route
Feature
LED valet
02 — Structure
(shelter)
Built form · semi-transparent dome · main space
Threshold
I anchored the event in a semi-transparent dome tent placed on the plot, giving guests a shaded, considered space on open construction ground. I linked it with two bridges, one to the entrance walkway and one to the groundbreaking area, so the structure connects the whole journey. It turns a raw site into a controlled, branded environment.
Dome tent
Semi-transparent
Two bridges
On-plot build
Design decision: I used a translucent dome with linking bridges so the raw plot reads as one designed, connected space.
Format
Dome tent
Links
Two bridges
03 — EntrancE
Built form · branded walkway · immersive entry
(immersion)
Entry
I designed the entrance as a fully branded, immersive walkway into the main space. I used it to showcase the Laguna project's interior and exterior visuals and lifestyle, so guests step into the development's world before the ceremony begins. It sets the tone and primes the room for the announcement.
Branded walkway
Project visuals
Lifestyle imagery
Immersive entry
Design decision: I made the entry an immersive brand walkway so guests feel the finished Laguna lifestyle before they reach the plot.
Format
Branded walkway
Content
Project visuals
04 — Event area
(gather)
Bar · media wall · signing setup
Main event
I planned the centre of the tent as the gathering and media heart of the event. A designed bar with lounges and high tables gives varied seating, while a media wall and table set up the MOU signing in front of press. A branded wall on the opposite side holds visibility across every camera angle.
Designed bar
Lounges + high tables
Media wall
MOU signing
Design decision: I placed the signing against a media wall so the key press moment is framed on-brand for every camera.
Format
Bar + signing
Feature
Media wall
05 — Walkway
(passage)
Built arches · floral detail · transition
Transition
I shaped the walkway to the groundbreaking as a series of branded arches in the brand colours, dressed with flowers and plants. It carries guests from the tent toward the ceremony as a designed transition, not a gap. The floral detailing lifts the moment and keeps the brand present along the route.
Branded arches
Brand colours
Flowers + plants
Designed transition
Design decision: I turned the route to the dig into branded floral arches so the transition itself feels like part of the ceremony.
Format
Branded arches
Detail
Flowers + plants
06 — Groundbreaking
Ceremony area · branded set · commemorative dig
(moment)
Ceremony
I designed the groundbreaking area as the media payoff of the event. Branded walls maximise brand visibility in coverage, while One Development representatives wear branded helmets and dig a plot of sand with branded shovels for the commemorative photo. Every element is set up to read clearly in the press images.
Branded walls
Branded helmets
Branded shovels
Commemorative dig
Design decision: I branded every prop in the dig so the commemorative photo carries the identity in all media coverage.
Format
Ceremony set
Props
Helmets + shovels
07 — Entertainment
(atmosphere)
Live acts · catering · branded touches
Live
I directed the entertainment and catering to hold the brand and the story. A speed painter portrays the future Laguna community on the empty plot, while a saxophonist sets a welcoming tone. A mixologist serves purple drinks with branded ice cubes, and pass-around canapés are styled for shareable, on-brand moments.
Speed painter
Saxophonist
Purple mixology
Branded ice
Design decision: I tied the live acts to the project story so even the entertainment reinforces Laguna's future, not just the mood.
Format
Live + catering
Theme
Branded purple
08 — Hostesses
(welcome)
Styling · dual-brand looks · guest welcome
Welcome
I carried the brands into the front-of-house styling so the welcome read as part of the design. Hostesses wear blue dresses or white trousers with lilac jackets, reflecting both One Development and Laguna. They welcome guests on arrival and hand out giveaways at the close, holding the identity from the spaces through to the people.
Dual-brand styling
Lilac jackets
Front of house
Giveaways
Design decision: I styled the hostesses to both brands so the human touchpoints carry One Development and Laguna together.
Format
Front of house
Styling
Dual-brand looks
Outcome
One branded journey, arrival to dig.
I led the team to deliver eight zones that read as one branded experience across a live construction plot — from the flagged arrival through to the commemorative dig — so the brand held consistently for guests and press alike
Media
Press event
08
Zones
On-plot
Live-site build