Edinburgh City Council gave the go-ahead for marquees to be erected along George Street in time for the festival in 2014 as part of their Experimental Traffic Regulations Order (ETRO). The council had been promoting the idea of Alfresco dining to encourage tourism and business within the city with a trial part road closure along this iconic city centre destination. Purvis Marquees were approached by Essential Edinburgh, the Business Improvement District for the city centre, and tasked with finding a solution that would attract the businesses on George Street and relied on the project teams expertise to adapt the structures so they could be signed off by building control and withstand the often unpredictable weather experienced in the city over a long period of time.

Giulio Barbieri pagoda units were presented as an option due to their aesthetic qualities and unusual outside frame. Variations of the structures were provided for individual client’s requests including fulling glazed sliding side panels, soft window walls sides on a sliding clack system. Essential Edinburgh arranged the installation of raised decking systems with concrete ballasting incorporated into the substructure. Bracing wires and anchors were also installed to provide structural wind resistance.

A complex build commenced in a busy city centre area with certain sections of George Street being closed off as the build progressed. The finished look was amazing with these elegant white pagodas becoming focal points along this famous street with customers experiencing a unique dining experience. Sides could be opened in the hot weather and closed and heated in the colder winter months.

Even with gale force winds during the winter, the structures stood strong due to the additional fixings and bracing. Once the contract had come to an end, the restaurants sold off the structures or moved them to different locations to be used again.