CASE STUDY
MONTANA BREWING COMPANY
This project is a great example of Fabricon’s ability to make practical solutions for everyday problems. It features– an outdoor dining area outfitted with a Gennius retractable canopy and roll-up screen walls system. During the height of the Covid pandemic, when government health ordinances required social distancing and mask mandates, businesses saw the demand for versatile outdoor eating and gathering areas that had previously been overlooked. This was as much for public health needs as it was to help already struggling businesses to not only survive but thrive once more.
RETRACTABLE CANOPY
Located in the heart of historic downtown Billings, the Montana Brewing Company, known locally as ‘The Brew Pub’ has operated out of the iconic Montana Power Co. Building since 1994. The building’s facade already had an existing awning providing signage and sun protection as well as a patio with a light duty metal frame covered with agricultural mesh to provide shade in the summer.
The challenge for Fabricon was to create; a safe, inviting, and protected outdoor dining area while blending it in with the surrounding elements. The answer was to replace the restaurant’s existing shade structure with a robust motorized retractable system that had the dynamic flexibility of being either completely or partially enclosed. This gave the area total sun protection while optimizing airflow for the structure based on; the weather, building codes, health codes, seasonal restrictions and the other needs of the brewery’s social events. To provide added benefit and sustainability, water and leak proof vinyl was chosen as the primary construction material.
