THE CURVED HORIZON
Where Structure Dissolves
Into Landscape
A large-span barrel vault cable edge tensile membrane structure,
precision-engineered as a cafeteria extension for a premium museum facility —
spanning approximately
8 meters
from the existing building wall to the front column line.
The structure follows an L-shaped plan geometry, meticulously matched to the building profile and surrounding landscape — a design solution conceived and resolved entirely by MECANCO’s in-house design team.
The rear of the structure connects directly and seamlessly to the building wall, while the front is supported by slender, delicately detailed columns — minimal in presence yet precise in execution.
Every cable curvature and structural detail was carefully resolved within the architectural language of the project, creating a structural composition designed to visually dissolve into the landscape.
The membrane selected is a Type 2 PVDF Coated Tensile Membrane, delivering complete waterproofing and all-weather protection across the full span.
The structure follows an L-shaped plan geometry, meticulously matched to the building profile and surrounding landscape — a design solution conceived and resolved entirely by MECANCO’s in-house design team.
The rear of the structure connects directly and seamlessly to the building wall, while the front is supported by slender, delicately detailed columns — minimal in presence yet precise in execution.
Every cable curvature and structural detail was carefully resolved within the architectural language of the project, creating a structural composition designed to visually dissolve into the landscape.
The membrane selected is a Type 2 PVDF Coated Tensile Membrane, delivering complete waterproofing and all-weather protection across the full span.
Span
Approx. 8m projection from building edge
Geometry
L-shaped barrel vault configuration
Membrane
Type 2 PVDF coated tensile membrane
Where structure becomes landscape — a barrel vault that shelters without interrupting, and extends without imposing.
APPLICATION & UTILITY
Weather-Protected Dining,
Integrated With Landscape
Designed as a functional cafeteria extension for a museum facility, this
barrel vault cable edge structure
transforms an underutilised L-shaped outdoor margin space into a fully
weather-protected, landscape-integrated dining extension.
The structure delivers complete waterproofing and all-weather protection across its entire span, meeting the full functional brief without compromising the architect’s exacting vision of minimalism and landscape harmony.
The result is an alfresco dining environment that feels open, natural and unhurried — where diners experience the surrounding landscape unobstructed, sheltered beneath a canopy that is present yet invisible, functional yet poetic.
The L-shaped configuration ensures the extension wraps the building corner seamlessly, maximising the utility of the available outdoor space while maintaining a continuous architectural language with the existing building.
The structure delivers complete waterproofing and all-weather protection across its entire span, meeting the full functional brief without compromising the architect’s exacting vision of minimalism and landscape harmony.
The result is an alfresco dining environment that feels open, natural and unhurried — where diners experience the surrounding landscape unobstructed, sheltered beneath a canopy that is present yet invisible, functional yet poetic.
The L-shaped configuration ensures the extension wraps the building corner seamlessly, maximising the utility of the available outdoor space while maintaining a continuous architectural language with the existing building.
Use
Museum cafeteria outdoor dining extension
Geometry
L-shaped layout wrapping the building corner
Protection
Complete waterproofing and all-weather coverage
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Precision Engineered.
Architecturally Restrained.
Structure Type
Barrel vault cable edge tensile membrane structure.
Plan Geometry
L-shaped configuration custom matched to the building profile and landscape boundary.
Full Span
Approximately 8 meters from building wall connection to front column line.
Rear Connection
Direct and clean connection into the existing building wall.
Front Support
Minimalistic front columns with slender and delicately detailed execution.
Ground Connections
Refined minimalistic fixing details, engineered and architecturally resolved.
Membrane Material
Type 2 PVDF coated tensile membrane for durable waterproofing performance.
Edge System
Cable edge system with architecturally resolved cable curvatures.
Structural Philosophy
Minimalistic member design allowing all structural elements to recede into the composition.
Design Origin
L-shaped geometry conceived and developed by MECANCO’s in-house design team.
Recognition
Client appreciation certificate awarded in formal acknowledgement of project excellence.
OUR EDGE
Engineering Ambition.
Design Humility.
The brief for this project came with a rare duality —
deliver an
8-meter barrel vault roofing extension
that is fully structural, fully waterproof and fully functional,
yet so visually restrained that it almost disappears into the landscape.
For most, this would be a contradiction. For MECANCO, it became a design challenge embraced with precision and creativity.
The L-shaped geometry — a complexity demanding careful resolution at every corner and junction — was not handed to us. It was identified, conceived and presented by our design team as the natural solution to the site condition, and the architects’ appreciation upon presentation was immediate.
Every connection detail — from the building wall at the rear, to the slender front columns, to the refined ground fixings — was engineered to perform at the highest structural level while remaining visually subservient to the landscape it inhabits.
The outcome was a structure that earned not only the approval of the architect, but also a formal appreciation certificate from the client — recognising one of the rarest outcomes in the industry: a project where engineering ambition and design humility arrived together, in equal measure.
For most, this would be a contradiction. For MECANCO, it became a design challenge embraced with precision and creativity.
The L-shaped geometry — a complexity demanding careful resolution at every corner and junction — was not handed to us. It was identified, conceived and presented by our design team as the natural solution to the site condition, and the architects’ appreciation upon presentation was immediate.
Every connection detail — from the building wall at the rear, to the slender front columns, to the refined ground fixings — was engineered to perform at the highest structural level while remaining visually subservient to the landscape it inhabits.
The outcome was a structure that earned not only the approval of the architect, but also a formal appreciation certificate from the client — recognising one of the rarest outcomes in the industry: a project where engineering ambition and design humility arrived together, in equal measure.
Challenge
8m structural extension with minimal visual presence
Innovation
L-shaped geometry conceived by MECANCO design team
Philosophy
Structure engineered to visually dissolve into landscape
Recognition
Formal client appreciation certificate awarded