Solar Reserve Showcase Cubes

Background

SolarReserve are based in California, USA and are a cutting edge developer of utility-scale solar power projects delivered globally.  The company has commercialised solar thermal energy storage that enables solar power plants to deliver electricity day and night.

Recently SolarReserve was appointed to construct the Aurora Solar Energy project in Port Augusta, South Australia.

The Challenge

In October 2017 they approached us to construct a presentation featuring their power station. This needed to be completed and delivered to Adelaide in time for the Job EX trade fair. This left us just two weeks to design, build and deliver a solution.

The initial brief called for the construction of three large cubes as well as a showcase housing for a highly detailed and delicate scale model of their power plant. The design had to include specific colours and finishes on different faces of the housing.

The Solution

With only two weeks to complete this project, and with the client being based in the USA we dedicated our Head of Production, Cam Roberts, to manage the project from start to finish. Due to the time differences, we had to be very specific and clear with our recommendations, particularly with regard to the appropriate materials and finishes necessary to achieve a premium level of presentation.

After several consultations with the client, it was decided that a combination of timber, acrylic and some laser-etched panels, as well as colour-matched printed panels, would achieve the desired effect. 

As the design included numerous printed panels (over 12 were required, each of different sizes), it was imperative that the project followed a strict timeline to ensure everything was ready for assembly.

Sizing of the clear showcase housing was critical as it had to fit the model exactly. Wanting a seamless finish, we designed a hidden "former" to hold the showcase in place on top of the whole display. The solution worked perfectly, and the end result was exceptional.