Shade Structures: Protect Parks and Please Guests

FabriTec Structures prepares to debut this fabric structure at the open National Harbor community on the Potomac near Washington DC. The PVC fabric structure, by USA Shade, features heavy duty steel support elements and provides shade and weather protection for an outdoor gathering area near the new boat docks.

Parks are in some ways no different than school playgrounds, government installations, municipality projects or country clubs. People and/or equipment need to be protected from the glare and heat of the sun and the very harmful UV rays that are ever present even on cloudy days.

Classic Recreation shade structures can serve as a shelter to keep out the sun or the rain, and cover lockers, lunch tables, walkways or basketball courts. Here is a shade structure at Ellis Elementary in Colorado.

ICON Shelter Systems produces site and street shelters for public and private parks. The line of shade structures consists of picnic shelters, gazebos, large pavilions, arbors, carousel houses and transit shelters. The new Craftsman Series Shelters reflect the design motif of architecture that came out of the Arts & Crafts movement in England during the later part of the 19th century.

When it comes to parks, there are several areas that could benefit from a breathable shade structure: parking; standard car or truck parking; outdoor facility and maintenance areas; swimming pool areas/wading ponds; dog runs; basketball/tennis courts; bleacher seating; batting cages; BBQ/picnic areas; guest/staff smoking areas; clubhouse outside meeting areas; driving ranges; patio eating areas.

Shade Sails, aptly named for their sail-like shapes and shade-providing function, are actually tensioned fabric that can be twisted, overlapped and angled into a virtually limitless array of soaring forms. One small sail may provide a subtle architectural accent over a household entry or window. A series of large, overlapping sails, as seen here, expands over an open area to provide shaded shelter around playgrounds and parks.

Shade Creations by Waterloo provides functional shade. From permabrellas and lifeguard umbrellas to steel shade structures and hip structures, each product at Shade Creations is custom-designed. Set-up and installation has been simplified with an ability to personalize size, shape and design.

Structures are permanently installed in the ground either by direct bury or with footing cages and base plates. They are built to withstand a normal wind load of 80 mph but can be upgraded to withstand up to 120 mph.

With the installation of a tension cable/high density breathable polyethylene fabric shade cloth structure in key play or work areas, the heat of the sun and UV rays are neutralized. Depending upon the time of day with or without a breeze, the temperatures under the shade structure can be anywhere from (15 to 25+) degrees cooler than out in the sun.