Shade structures

Tensile Shades.

Doubly-curved membrane structures engineered as architecture. Every panel is patterned from a form-found model, so the fabric carries its load in tension and holds its shape for its whole service life.

  • PVDF / PVC membrane
  • Form-found patterning
  • Clear spans to 30 m

A tensile structure holds its shape because it is curved in two opposing directions at once. Get that geometry right and the membrane stays drum-tight for decades; get it wrong and it ponds, flutters and stretches out of shape within a season. This is why we form-find every canopy before a single panel is cut.

We model the surface under its real load case — Gulf wind, self-weight and pre-stress — then patterns are flattened from that model with compensation for how the specific fabric will relax. Cutting, welding and edge cabling all happen in our own Al Sajaa workshop, so the tolerances that matter are ours to hold.

Frames are hot-dip galvanised, rigging is stainless, and every membrane is specified for UV and heat before it is specified for looks.

Tensile Shades we make

  • Conic / Peak Canopies
  • Hypar (Hyperbolic Paraboloid)
  • Barrel Vault Membranes
  • Ridge-and-Valley Canopies
  • Cone Cluster Structures
  • Arched Membrane Canopies
  • Walkway & Link Canopies
  • Entrance & Porte-Cochère Canopies
  • Amphitheatre & Stage Covers
  • Grandstand & Stadium Membranes
Aerial view of a cluster of sage green and sand hyperbolic paraboloid shade sails with circular vents, arranged over a resort courtyard beside a tennis court and pool
Sand-coloured shade sails tensioned above a heritage quarter alleyway

Next step

Have a space that needs shade?

Let's design something built for your environment.

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