Al fresco dining has become an inherent part of the infamous Melbourne cafe culture, but is too often defined by rows of removable and unsightly umbrellas and protection barriers plastered with garish company logos. For this well-established restaurant along Little Bourke Street, Jackson Clements Burrows looked for something a little tastier. Rather than employing an impermeable barricade, they used an open steel structure with a translucent yet vibrant screen stretched over it. The overhead awning is retractable, its arms acting like a tree, keeping the tension of the leaf-printed fabric skin, and creating an abstract foliage canopy. In keeping with the seasons, the digital printed graphics from Sumo Visual are inteded to change, matching the changing nature of the streetscape.

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Sumo Group Pty Ltd
Suite 2, Ground Floor
662 Newcastle Street
Leederville WA 6007

t: 08 9328 5300
f: 08 9328 6999
w: www.sumo.com.au

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Polyflor Australia
59-65 Wedgewood Road
Hallam VIC 3803

t: 1800 777 425
f: 03 9215 4444
w: www.polyflor.com

Dimitriou Architects' Sir Zelman Cowen Award winning project is a suite of elevated, tropical-inspired buildings that are linked with shaded decks, wide verandahs and walkways. The redeveloped University of Queensland Research Station in the Great Barrier Reef faced a number of barriers, like avoiding a turtle breeding ground, lifting buildings above a highly corrosive coral clay, and protecting against cyclones. Everything was transported by boat, necessitating precisely designed, measured and cut materials. The success of the operation - being awarded international Green Globe certification for groundbreaking sustainable development - depended on innovation and efficiency. Eco Ply "Texture 2000", a layered plantation pine panel, was used for its inherent qualities of durability and strength.

With the award-winning King George V Recreation Centre, Jacksons Landing and the Boy Charlton to his name, Ed Lippmann didn't expect the MLC School Building Projects Committee to be a tough crowd. They were, in fact, formidable. Embarking on an ambitious sports facility upgrade, the Committee sought financial viability as well as architectural innovation. Lippmann turned the two undercover pools suggested in the brief into one, supporting a sixty metre column-free space with a clear span truss, and managing natural ventilation with slot windows and operable doors along the pool's entire length. A Luxalon ceiling has been used for this and several other major indoor swimming pool projects, offering high levels of acoustic control, hidden suspension systems and a dramatic visual dimension.

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Hunter Douglas Architectural Products
322-338 Victoria Rd
Rydalmere NSW 2116

t: 02 9638 8824
f: 02 9638 8826
w: www.luxalon.com.au

The AGL SA facility by Hassell Architects is praised inside and out, commended by RAIA as a new building and awarded an Award of Merit for its Interior. Housing 380 personnel, it is a structural and organisational feat, reenergising a workforce around a central atrium, providing decentered and outdoor spaces for breaks, and bringing in plentiful natural light. Break out areas and lifestyle facilities are emphasised, using cool metallics and warm textures. Aluminium group lounges and Tretford goat carpets, fabric panelling and rendered walls painted in luscious primaries are combined in the cafe-style Red Bod. The Chill Out Room, visually isolated from the office environment and with external views over Adelaide, features a graphic modular sofa customised with Kvadrat Maharam fabrics.

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Kvadrat Pty Ltd
17 Foster St, Surry Hills,
NSW 2010

t: 02-9212-4277
f: 02-9212-4288
w: www.kvadratmaharam.com

There is something jaunty and appropriately Edwardian about the new tent-like additions to Adelaide Oval - one of the prettiest cricket grounds in the world and a heritage fiefdom fiercely guarded by the South Australian Cricket Association. The open sculptural forms designed by Hassell, which were awarded two SA RAIA Awards, consciously depart from the traditional enclosing stadium. Fast tracked and on a tight budget, the design saved time and money with lightweight tensile roofing material from Birdair, allowing significant prefabrication. The fabric, self-cleaning to reduce maintenance, is buttressed by slender vierendal roof and column trusses. Very large cantilevers to the west give column-free sunshading over all seats right through to the late sun. The roof also draws convenctive air flows to bring relief during summer cricket matches.

Product Supplied by:
Taiyo-Birdair Australia
570 Curtin Avenue East
4009 Eagle Farm
Brisbane, Queensland
 
t: 07 3633-5900
f: 07 3633-5999
w: www.taiyobirdair.com