Overview

La Porchetta is a branch of an Australasian chain of Italian restaurants. While this restaurant is a new build, little consideration had been given to the outdoor dining space and it quickly proved to be unusable much of the time due to the weather.

Our client wanted to close the area in to provide a weather proof space with the option of opening it up on calm sunny days. We were asked to design a canopy and various side screens, including static screens, Zip Tracks, a fire door and a coloured PVC ‘wall’. The canopy itself was relatively straight forward; however the various blinds and screens required considerable customisation. Initially the idea was to have full height curtains across the front of the canopy, but after we had priced and designed these, the owner changed his mind. Unfortunately he found some of his customers were of the “dine and dash” variety, so he asked us to design a space that included a solid pvc wall to act as a physical barrier. We custom designed a low static screen in black PVC, and 4 Zip Track blinds to meet the wall. The client now had a more secure area but could still open up the blinds to allow air through when required.

On either end of the structure we designed clear static screens, however the client also requested we custom design a fire door to his specifications. This door was a challenge! Due to fire regulations it had to be larger and heavier than our standard doors. Everything about this door was custom designed, from the heavy duty steel frame to the way the push bar worked in with the frame and the way the door latched. Even tensioning the pvc was difficult as there was no rope channel to work with. The door measurements had to be exact and aesthetically it needed to tie in with the rest of the panelling we had created.The end result is a valuable extension to the restaurant, an outdoor area that gets constant use, and a very happy customer.

In the words of our client: “We found Fresco easy to work with and accommodating with the changes to the design of the project. By closing off the outdoor area, including a framed static panel and curtains, our customers are now protected from the wind but still have the option of fresh air when the curtains are up. The way the outdoor area was designed allows customers to feel they are still part of the dining experience.”

Install Year

2014

Canopy Size

Approx 49sqm

Award

Winner 2015 OFPANZ Excellence Award – Blinds & Screens