Making shade while the sun shines: protection from Brisbane’s elements

Humid, subtropical Brisbane, Australia, basks through an average 3,000 hours of sunlight each year, and in this environment, Australia’s Kingscliff-based Fabritecture has it made with the shade. Fabritecture designs, manufactures and installs tensile fabric structures throughout the world; the company won two Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) International Achievement Awards (IAA) at IFAI Expo Americas 2011 last October.

At the Eagle Street Pier in Brisbane, Fabritecture replaced existing shade structures at the Jade Buddha and Coffee Club with tensile fabric canopies that protect alfresco diners from rain and damaging UV rays while allowing light, airflow and an unobstructed view of the Brisbane River and Story Bridge. The PVC and PTFE membrane canopies were installed on both existing and new steel framing. The fabric structures were installed as part of a refurbishment project of Eagle Street Pier, with the purpose of providing a top-quality alfresco dining environment consistent with the unique city waterfront location and high standing of the award-winning establishments in the area. The project won the IAA Award of Excellence for tensile structures under 600 square meters.

Two shade canopies that curve around the $850 million Soul development project at Surfers Paradise Beach won another IAA Award of Excellence for free-standing structures of more than 112 square meters.