Overview

Peacock Sky is a vineyard/restaurant on Waiheke Island that has a fast growing reputation and big increases in the numbers of customers visiting. The site (which is on the top of a hill) has a great view, and outside dining areas to make the most of this, but it can be quite exposed to the wind/rain. Over the summer months the area tends to bake, driving customers inside, away from the best views. The owners approached us to design and build an outdoor dining area that could be closed off when the weather dictates, with the aim of increasing the numbers they can reliably seat for wine tastings or dining. Above all they wanted an area that was comfortable for dining in all weathers.

This job was technically challenging, not the least because of the location, planning and the number of trips required completing it. The canopy was effectively built around a mobile kitchen/caravan, and required considerable effort to seal off the area to make it as weather tight as possible. This required extra flashings to be attached to a challenging structure, extra static panels, and a very complex guttering system. The latter was important to the owner, who being an environmentally aware Waiheke Islander, wanted to be able to collect the rain water off the roof of the canopy and recycle it. To make this happen, we had to modify guttering brackets so that the front side and back gutters could all flow into a common downpipe that lead to the rain water tank some distance away.

Peacock Sky was in a high wind zone – all structural components had to be upgraded to withstand the elements with minimum impact on the surroundings. 600mm diameter by 2 metre deep piles were put into the ground to attach the front posts. The canopy needed to be higher than normal to minimise obstruction to the views, while colours for the frame were chosen to blend in with the greenery. To add to the challenges, the restaurant was open the whole time we were on site, and we were coping with some fairly strong winds as we attached the fabric.

The design of this canopy was complex, and had to be modified as the owner altered the brief as we progressed, but the evolving collaboration of ideas produced a practical solution that also looks great – the owner has pictures of it and a mention of the canopy on the website, and even named the canopy area (‘Le Cote de la Colline’).We believe this project, while challenging, over delivered on the original specs, and the owner is delighted with the outcome. He now has an outdoor dining area that fits seamlessly into the main building, incorporates his mobile kitchen, and with the white roof, the right ambience for the restaurant (there was some debate with the Council who had been insisting on a green coloured roof, which would have cast an unfortunate hue on the food!). Read The Owners Review Here!.

Install Year

2013

Canopy Size

Approx 64sqm

Award

2014 OFPANZ Excellence Award – Awnings And Canopies