2022 Awards for Excellence Winner Tension Structures & Canopies 51-100 sqm
Seungogo Pre-school
Fun with Angles
We were approached by this kindergarten as they were running out of space and needed to create a sheltered all-weather area for their kids on their L shaped deck. Shade sails were in place, but these were old and no longer fit for purpose, given the pre-school wanted to be able to use the space all year round, especially in summer, but also on rainy days.
Someone had fun designing this building! Aesthetically it was an interesting shape, comprised of multiple angles – the building and even the decks, on both sides. There was only one area on each side that was a true square, the rest was angled and of varying heights and roof styles. We have come across some complicated designs before, but none quite this quirky!
This was a highly technical job that challenged our design team, the level of detail required was considerable. Considering all the varying angles and heights, everything had to be absolutely accurate to make these canopies work. We were joining a standard arch to a sloping reverse lean to. Joining the 2 areas was a challenge due to the steep angle of the gable end, and the height difference between the two.
Add to this both the gutters and the soffit on the building also sloped – we couldn’t follow that slope without creating further complications, so we levelled the back rail – however this meant each bracket had to be made individually at different heights and had to be mounted in a specific spot to fit properly.
The final part of the puzzle was framing for the curtains, this required square posts to be facing each other, and with angles present everywhere, a multitude of double-posts, flashings and static panels were installed in order to make this canopy work with the sides.
The area has been transformed and is now used every day. Our very grateful client loves her new play/learning space, and the fact that were able to complete such a complicated job on time and to budget.
She can now take on more children due to the increase in useable space and can close the area off if needed to provide an extra-large classroom.
