Company:
SHADE Industries Inc. Phoenix, AZ

Project Details

Fabric 1

OTHER
Producer: Polyfab USA
Supplier: Polyfab USA

Fabric 2

Commercial 95
Producer: Gale Pacific USA Inc.
Supplier: Gale Pacific USA Inc.


Engineer Name 1
Nick Keizer

Engineer Company 1
RNK Structural Engineering

Design Name
Ashley Poulton

Design Company
SHADE Industries

Installation Company
SHADE Industries


Please describe the project specifications

10 square steel powder-coated columns were set in concrete footers, 6 wall brackets were epoxy-anchored into the existing school, and 7 custom shade sails were suspended above an elementary school amphitheater, creating approximately 2,870 square feet of shade.


What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

The elementary school desired to utilize their outdoor amphitheater, but the Arizona sun prohibited much mid-day use. The request to shade the stage and seating area from 9am to 3pm during the school year drove the design. Shade studies were conducted by manipulating the shade sails in 3D modeling software to maximize the efficiency of the design.


What is unique or complex about the project?

Construction began before school released for the summer, so drilling the epoxy anchors into the walls and drilling holes needed to be coordinated around the students’ schedules. A special curved bracket was fabricated for the front of the building. This bracket ties into existing structural I-beams located in the building’s ceiling.


What were the results of the project?

The school is extremely pleased with the result, and the district has since contracted 5 additional schools to design and construct shade structures over similar areas.


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