Located atop a 16 storey hotel, Hive and Honey is a rooftop bar designed be a central gathering place for the neighbourhood and visitors alike. From happy hour to the late hour, guests come to see dramatic sunsets and stay into the night. Building off the growing trend of maximising outdoor spaces, the clients wanted to showcase what developers and building owners can do with roofs that are usually underutilised. With customer comfort a key consideration, they approached Bromic to develop a heating solution for the bar. 

“The project was brought to us by the property developer who we have worked with on numerous other projects they have. We have also worked with the hotel chain across the globe on numerous projects," says Blake Petty, Bromic. "Both the developer and hotel have trust in Bromic not only in our products, but in our team from the upfront design service and technical support team that are there at every step of the way.”

The challenge: Creating a warm, welcoming environment

A key challenge for the rooftop space was that it needed to stay warm throughout the day and into the evening from the interior to the patio outside.

One of the best ways to maximise comfort and increase revenue is by integrating outdoor heaters. Outdoor heaters usually come in two main different types: freestanding and mounted. Which option is best for a specific design mainly depends on how much portability and floor space will be needed.

If versatility is needed and the layout might change over time, then freestanding heaters create a great value-add for clients and building owners. In turn, for more permanent installation, wall or ceiling mounted heaters may work best. 

For Hive and Honey, it was important to have direct warmth that could be moved when needed. They also needed a solution that wouldn’t block views of the skyline and would keep the floor space open to provide a cohesive overall experience. The rooftop area was unique in that at times the space needs to be used so window washing equipment can be suspended over the side of the building. Due to this, it was important to be able to clear the patio of all furniture and not have anything mounted to the perimeter of the building that would interfere with maintenance. 

The solution: Portable outdoor heaters to provide flexibility

After an initial discussion with the clients using Bromic’s complimentary Design Service, Bromic's heating experts took a look at the architectural plans and mocked up a heat layout. They then sent this back to the clients as a detailed heat plan with product specification sheets. For Hive and Honey, the solution was a combination of the Eclipse Portable heater, controlled by the Eclipse Dimmer Remote and the Tungsten Electric heater series, hardwired to a On/Off switches.

The Eclipse Portable heater series gives the rooftop bar the directional heat needed over each of the lounge areas and tables and gives the flexibility to disconnect and move the heaters out of the way during the window washing.

Being that this is on a rooftop and can get windy, the team wanted to use powerful Tungsten Electric heaters that are not affected by the wind like gas heaters can be. For ease of use, the heaters were hardwired to On/Off switches enabling employees to have independent control. At the same time, the white Tungsten Electric heaters blend in with the white ceiling and walls.

The result

The care taken by the Bromic team to consider the architectural plans, mock up the heat layout and truly understand the use of the patio space — where furniture was going to be located, and where people would congregate, has ensured in a well considered heating design that perfectly hits the brief.  Customers love to come together outdoors, where they can enjoy good food, fresh air, and lively culture. The result is an inspiring rooftop bar that brings hospitality design to new heights.