What’s new in the world of shade structures.

Though the last two years have been anything but settled we have managed to keep it together and move forward positively. Abacus Shade Structures remains at the forefront of shade structure design and fabrication.

We have two new staff members on board.  Faye who has made her home in this wonderful country, will take some of the workload off our resident designer. Faye brings engineering talents to our team while learning 3D shade structure design.

New installer Alex joins the company providing support and labour services to the onsite installation crew. His friendly nature and enjoyment of working outdoors will hold him in good stead with customers and co-workers.

A drier winter has made working on sites much better. Sites are getting drier and less boggy making them more accessible for machinery and workers. The improved weather will go a long way towards overcoming construction delays after a lengthy wet La Nina period. With plenty of projects coming through, reducing lead times is now a big priority.

Economic slowdown in 2020 & 21 led to a post COVID surge in construction. We experienced, supply shortages  leading to rises in commodity pricing, the most significant being steel which increased by 25% in 2021. For 2022  there may be a silver lining as rising interest rates in response to inflation settle price volatility and construction lead times.

Abacus has been working on some new designs of late. Shade Structures are very creative and designs continue to evolve. The Snake Structure at Crossroads Homemaker Centre, Casula NSW, completed in June 2022, displays a striking twisting steel pattern. The Snake, with its PVC cover provides all weather protection to playground equipment.  It is easier to visualise designs at Abacus when they have quirky names such as snake, pods or star bursts.

2022 promises to be an interesting year with twists and turns around every corner. Abacus Shade Structures remains in full swing, meeting all challenges head on.