6-metre hexagonal ‘tree’ arbours transform new Adelaide Festival Plaza precinct.

We’ve been creating outdoor structures for over 50 years now. But some projects still take our breath away – like the towering interlocking ‘tree’ arbours we recently delivered for Walker Corporation as part of the $1 billion dollar redevelopment of Adelaide Festival Plaza for the State of South Australia. Just wow!

Mark and the FORGE (formerly Fleetwood Urban) design team rose to every challenge, as did the fabrication team shortly after. “Looking at the plans, the arbours were amazing structures. But creating them wasn’t easy,” says FORGE’s (formerly Fleetwood Urban) Joel Watson. “We set up a large jig in our fabrication facility (essentially a stencil) where small sections of laser-cut steel beams were laid out to form each of the hexagonal panels before welding. The team then repeated that process over and over, working double shifts, until there were enough hexagonal sections for each complete arbour.”

High profile, high stakes, high scrutiny.

Time was short. But the task was hugely complex. Develop, prototype, fabricate and install a series of highly intricate hexagonal arbours at the height of the pandemic – all in a climate of intense public scrutiny, and a 6-month deadline looming large.

“When Walker Corporation invited us to tender in mid-2021, they already had an arbour design and even a prototype, but they weren’t happy with it,” says FORGE’s (formerly Fleetwood Urban) Creative and Technical Lead, Mark Jol. “The clock was ticking. We needed to capture the intent of their original concept, but in a way that could actually work in the real world. The hexagonal design, in particular, was incredibly detailed with a complex mosaic of perforated mesh panelling.”

Mark and the FORGE (formerly Fleetwood Urban) design team rose to every challenge, as did the fabrication team shortly after. “Looking at the plans, the arbours were amazing structures. But creating them wasn’t easy,” says FORGE’s (formerly Fleetwood Urban), Joel Watson.

“We set up a large jig in our fabrication facility (essentially a stencil) where small sections of laser-cut steel beams were laid out to form each of the hexagonal panels before welding. The team then repeated that process over and over, working double shifts, until there were enough hexagonal sections for each complete arbour.”

The challenges continued when each of the partially-assembled arbours arrived on site, 1,300km away in Adelaide. Massive weight-bearing slabs under each of the steel structures called for ultra-accurate detailing and anchor points. The Plaza itself was also tightly regulated and busy with live construction taking place around our installation crews, requiring the utmost of care and coordination.

The first six arbours were successfully installed in January 2022 – two months ahead of schedule – and are now open to the public. 10 more arbours are scheduled for completion in 2023, as part of Stage 2 of the Plaza.  We can’t wait!