'Rusted' dome canopy, Bubble Nini, Darling Square

Bubble Nini is among the eclectic eateries on the ground floor of The Exchange at Darling Square on the former site of the Entertainment Centre. Bubble Nini is both a pearl tea purveyor and a florist which seems fitting for the idiosyncratic Kengo Kuma-designed wood-wrapped building. The seasonal flowers and bubble teas are an Insta-worthy pairing.

Di Emme was commissioned to create Bubble Nini’s key design feature, the ‘rusted’ dome canopy. Di Emme produced a quadrant mould for the fibreglass modelling. They bolted the fibreglass sections together around the offset concrete column. The canopy is borne by the column but appears to be supported by a couple of slender poles.

The fibreglass canopy, poles and concrete column are all painted the rich red oxide colour specified by the designer.