Structure encloses open area of hotel

Port Douglas Sailmakers Pty Ltd. | Cairns, Queensland, Australia

The purpose of the project, which won an Award of Excellence in the tensile structures, under 6,000 sq. ft. category of the 2008 International Achievement Awards, was to design and construct a structure to enclose an open area of the Central Hotel Port Douglas, Port Douglas, Australia, — footpath, beer garden and dining area — that could only be used in good weather. The local council also required that the existing plants, including well-established palm trees, remain in place. The project was designed around these restrictions. The center posts supporting each of the peaks on the radial conicals were fabricated at staggered heights for greater visual effect. These differing heights also play an important role in the runoff of water to previously designated areas. The existing hotel was not altered or modified in any way to accommodate the new structure.