The outdoor dining room at the Hopetoun Road Residence was expressly made for the purpose of accommodating a large group of people without impacting the flow of the interior of the house. The steel framed windows which enclose this area slide open to create a truly “outdoor” dining experience.
The choice of concrete for the central dining table was borne from its proximity to the outside and the clients need for a robust material. The curved edge detail to the thick edge is beautiful to feel when sitting against it. The curve mitigates the potential ‘heaviness’ of the form, which at four metres in length is substantial. The three legs required to support the span have incorporated the curve at the ends.
Once we arrived at suitable profiles for the top and legs, the fabrication needed to be worked out. To achieve the curved elements, custom form-work was CNC routed from large pieces of foam. These were taken to site where a temporary structural table was erected to support the formwork. A steel support system was built and a specialised team poured and finished the concrete. Due to the scale, the piece could not be made offsite and brought in.