If you own a commercial property, it’s in your best interest to augment and renovate it with a host of new features. A common way most property owners approach this is by renovating renovating the building itself—and for the most part, it’s effective.
But if you want to make a grand statement piece in the building’s exterior, a fabric structure could be the perfect installation to put up in your commercial lot.
Not only does a fabric structure have the potential to beautify your space, but it also serves as a protective and practical extension of your main building. This functional front can transform a once-barren space into something usable—and potentially profit-generating.
That said, you don’t have to settle for any old fabric structure that doesn’t exactly fit your building’s needs. You have an array of fabric structures you pick from, all you have to do is call up a professional provider who can help you bring your idea into reality.
If you’re wondering what type of fabric structures you can add to your property, you’ve come to the right place. This article will dive into several of the different fabric structures that can spruce up your commercial property’s exterior.
Let’s take a look at these structures!
5 Fabric Structures For a Commercial Property
Here are five fabric structures you can consider putting up on your commercial property.
1. Shade Sails
If you want superior UV protection in your shade structure, then shade sails are an excellent option. This type of fabric structure is extremely versatile and has uses across different industries.
Shade sails are tensioned fabric structures that are anchored at multiple points. Their most noteworthy feature is the canvas-like fabric, mimicking the shape of a sail used by ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.
This fabric option is made from knitted fabric that has near-complete light blockage properties. It’s a low-cost option with plenty of shapes, sizes, and colourways. It’s also fairly durable thanks to its reinforced seams and stainless steel base once mounted.
This fabric structure is mostly installed in councils and schools. That said, it also finds utility in outdoor seating areas, playgrounds, and poolside settings. If you need a shade structure provider, there are a range of fabric structures from Greenline that you can consider.
2. Barrel Vaults
Own a sports centre or an education facility? Have an open lawn that’s underutilised? A barrel vault fabric structure may be a fabric structure you can consider propping up.
Also known as a membrane structure or a PVC COLA, this shade structure is built from arched steel and has a fabric structure placed atop it. In essence, it looks like half a barrel turned on its side and supported by metal beams on its four corners.
If you want to have a large fabric structure for sports events or school gatherings, a barrel structure is the perfect design. Barrel vaults can also be extended down a walkway and be shaped parallel to it. Its arched shape allows it to remain sturdy and prevents water from collecting at the top.
Just like other fabric structures, a barrel vault is built from UV-protective material. It’s also built with light-penetrating cloth, allowing light to seep through and provide some illumination to the zone underneath the shade.
3. Star Structure
A smaller fabric structure you can consider putting up is a star structure. This shade structure, as its name implies, has a star-shaped fabric with four support beams at the corners. The top of the structure is the triangular peak of the structure, and it slopes downward on its sides.
A star shade structure is excellent for covering play areas for kids, ensuring that they’re safe from intense heat or the elements. This structure is also good for events like fairs, shopping centres, and weekly outdoor markets, providing shade and keeping people, equipment, and products safe from UV rays.
One of the great properties of a star structure is its lightweight and modular nature. It’s fairly flexible and easy to install, and it looks good in most environments too. This makes it an excellent choice for commercial environments looking for a small shade structure to cover play areas or stalls.
4. Conic Structure
Another fabric structure installation you can consider is a conic structure.
This architectural statement piece provides is useful in learning spaces, entrance areas, parks, outdoor eating areas, and poolsides due to its compact structure and lack of obstructive properties.
This shade structure has a single central pole with a central high point that slopes downwards, promoting efficient water drainage. As the name implies, it has a cone-like appearance and can provide weather protection and coverage to the space underneath it.
5. Cantilever
Cantilever designs are famous for having just a single, central pole with a web-like support along its midpoint stretching to support the fabric’s edges. This design is fantastic for keeping the space underneath unobstructed by steel poles and other obstructions.
This fabric design helps in outdoor settings by preventing water from seeping underneath, which makes it excellent as a parking spot. Of course, the lack of multiple poles also makes cantilevers an excellent option for outdoor parking areas.
Besides that, this fabric design can also be used in walkways and seating areas. It offers the same range of benefits as other fabric structures, but it also maximises ground space and looks sleek and streamlined when doing so.
For commercial property owners who want a functional and aesthetic space, this structure is usually a top choice for many.
6 Benefits of a Fabric Structure
Fabric structures aren’t only large statement pieces, but they’re also beneficial in more ways than one.
Here are six key benefits of installing a fabric structure.
- Increased health: It shields people from direct sunlight and the elements, keeping health risks like sunburn and the flu at bay.
- Enhanced outdoor usability: Fabric structure supports outdoor activities regardless of the presence of sun and rain.
- Enhanced comfort: People will be more relaxed and at ease to lounge or stay within your premises thanks to the shade provided by a fabric structure.
- Cost-effective: Fabric structures are more affordable to put up compared to renovating a dedicated outdoor space for activities. It’s also much faster to install, taking only 2 weeks to a month from start to finish.
- Customisable: You can opt for different design choices for your fabric structure, like different colourways, shapes, fabric materials, and sizes.
- Provides cash flow: A fabric structure helps increase your commercial property’s revenue streams, increasing the number of activities and stalls that can be held or operated underneath.
That said, property owners can only experience these benefits if they’re expertly engineered by reputed shade solution providers. Be sure to vet your chosen provider and review their reputation and products before partnering with them.
Good luck picking a fabric structure!
