Retractable canopy system extends outdoor service of Seattle café

One of Seattle’s public golf ranges gets a makeover to improve outdoor dining at the club café.

Part of a series of public golfing centers established by the Seattle parks and recreation department, the Interbay Golf Center is newly renovated so that patrons of the driving range café can enjoy views of the range year-round during Seattle’s well-known changeable weather. Recently installed, the new fully-retractable canopy system extends the seasons of outdoor service from two to four.

As Interbay is sited in a valley between Crown Hill and Magnolia Bluff south of Puget Sound, winds come whistling off the Sound in a concentrated force. To counteract this, project manager Steve Sadenwasser, with Rainier Industries, the fabricator of the freestanding canopy, added clear vinyl side walls that also retract out of sight for good weather.

Sadenwasser says the client “wanted the new canopy to disappear into the background and not match the color of the main building,” a dark red brick with wood siding. Rainier went with a powder-coated frame in neutral white that recedes from attention. Sadenwasser says one of the challenges to overcome on the job was unevenly graded grounds, so extra care was taken in placing the footings to ensure a stable and rigid frame.

The results are sufficiently pleasing that the public facility merited a top rating from a local arts and culture magazine as “Seattle’s best all weather heated driving range.” —BNW