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Tensile shades

Tensile shades, engineered around how people use space.

Lightweight architectural shade designed around people, place and climate — from school playgrounds and public walkways to sports facilities, resorts and healthcare entrances.

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Applications
Schools · Walkways · Public realm · Sports · Healthcare & hospitality
Structure
Circular hollow section, mild steel or hot-dip galvanised
Membrane
HDPE knitted mesh, PVC-coated polyester, or PTFE-coated glass
Warranty
10 years standard (terms issued with your quotation)

Every tensile structure is priced after a site inspection, because geometry, span, exposure and foundations decide the number. Send us measurements and photographs and we can often price it on the call.

A large multi-mast tensile canopy combining conical peaks and hypar edges over a paved public plaza.
Start here

Choose by where it goes.

The application decides the geometry, the membrane and the engineering — not the other way round. Pick the space you are covering.

What changes by application

The same fabric. A different set of decisions.

A run of coloured hypar sail canopies over a school assembly area beside a sports pitch.

Schools & Playgrounds

A school buys shade for the hours between lessons — assembly, break, queuing, waiting for a parent. The structure has to work with children under it, which changes what matters: clear headroom, no low edges at head height, columns positioned out of running lines, and a fabric that can be inspected and re-tensioned during a holiday rather than a term.

What we decide first
  • Column positions set clear of running and play lines
  • Headroom checked against supervision sightlines
  • Fabric colour — heat, glare and how the yard looks from the classrooms
  • Access for inspection during holidays rather than term time
  • Drainage away from where children stand
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Design families

Form follows the span and the site.

Four geometries cover most of what we build. Filter by where it is going to see which suit.

Suits
A four-point hypar sail canopy tensioned between masts and low anchor points.
Four-point saddle

Hypar sail

Two high corners, two low. The double curvature is what keeps it taut.

The workhorse of sail shading, and the form most people picture. Opposing curvature in two directions means every point on the membrane is held by tension in both — which is why a correctly tensioned hypar does not flap, and why a flat sail always will.

Suits

Playgrounds, courtyards, poolsides, parking, single- and multi-bay runs

A large multi-mast canopy combining conical peaks and hypar edges over a paved plaza.
Centre-mast cone

Conical peak

A mast pushes a high point up through the membrane.

A cone sheds water positively from the peak outward and gives dramatic height at the centre without raising the whole perimeter. Repeated across a grid, cones cover large areas while keeping each individual membrane panel a manageable size.

Suits

Plazas, forecourts, entrances, multi-bay grids over large paved areas

The underside of a large radial canopy over a school courtyard, showing the crown ring and radial seams.
Crown ring and radial seams

Radial canopy

One large cone over a whole courtyard, tensioned from a central ring.

Where a courtyard has to be covered in one move. The membrane is cut into radial panels and tensioned outward from a crown ring, which usually carries a vent. The seam pattern is the structure made visible — it follows the lines the tension actually takes.

Suits

School and institutional courtyards, atria, large single spaces

A repeating run of sail canopies on paired masts forming a covered pedestrian route.
Repeating bays

Walkway run

Sails repeated on paired masts to form a continuous covered route.

The same geometry as a hypar, resolved as a module and repeated. Because it repeats, the bay dimension is the design decision: it sets the mast count, the foundation count, the rhythm of the route and most of the cost.

Suits

Covered walkways, connections between buildings, drop-offs, queue lines

These are the forms we have built and photographed. Barrel vaults, cable nets and free-form geometry are possible; we will tell you honestly whether one is the right answer for your site or simply a more expensive one.

The membrane

Three fabrics. One of them is a roof.

The single decision that changes most about a tensile structure — what it costs, how it performs and how long it lasts.

Shade fabric

HDPE knitted mesh

Knitted high-density polyethylene monofilament. It shades and breathes; it is not a roof.

Commercial 95, 340 gsm is our common specification
Construction
Knitted HDPE monofilament, heat-set
Weight
340 gsm (Commercial 95)
UV block
91.5–95.5% for Commercial 95 340
Water
Not waterproof — rain passes through the knit
Air
Breathes. Heat is not trapped underneath
Fabric warranty
Manufacturer UV warranty, typically 10–15 years depending on grade
Where it belongs

Playgrounds, car parks, sports and any space where the point is sun and heat rather than rain.

Because it breathes, it is more forgiving in wind than a solid membrane of the same area — but it is still a structural surface, and it still has to be tensioned properly.

Architectural membrane

PVC-coated polyester

A woven polyester base coated both sides in PVC. Waterproof, weldable, and the standard material for permanent tensile architecture.

European architectural grade
Construction
Woven polyester base, PVC coating both faces
Top coat
PVDF or acrylic lacquer for dirt resistance and colour hold
Typical weights
Type I ≈ 850 g/m², Type II ≈ 900 g/m², Type III ≈ 1050 g/m²
Typical strengths
Type I ≈ 3000 N/5cm, Type II ≈ 4200 N/5cm, Type III ≈ 6000 N/5cm
Water
Waterproof. Welded seams, not stitched
Service life
Over 20 years for a correctly designed structure
Where it belongs

Walkways, entrances, hospitality, and anywhere the space beneath has to stay dry.

Type is not a style choice. It is selected from the span, the geometry and the calculated wind load — a larger or more exposed structure needs a heavier fabric and a stronger weld.

Long-life membrane

PTFE-coated glass

Woven glass fibre coated in PTFE. The longest-life architectural membrane, and the most expensive.

Specified where design life governs
Construction
Woven glass fibre, PTFE coating
Typical weight
≈ 1.5 kg/m² single skin
Light transmission
Roughly 9–16% depending on grade
Fire
Non-combustible base; Class 1 / class 0 to BS 476
Self-cleaning
PTFE bleaches white under UV and sheds dirt in rain
Service life
30–50 years; original design life was 25
Where it belongs

Landmark, institutional and long-horizon assets where the whole-life cost matters more than the first cost.

PTFE glass is brittle until installed and cannot be folded like PVC. It changes how the structure is fabricated, shipped and erected — which is part of why it costs more.

Comparison across the three families. Figures are industry-standard material properties, not measurements taken on a ZIL Shades installation.
ConsiderationHDPE meshPVC-coated polyesterPTFE-coated glass
Keeps rain offNoYesYes
BreathesYesNoNo
Typical weight340 gsm850–1050 g/m²≈ 1.5 kg/m²
SeamsStitchedWeldedWelded
Light throughFiltered through the knitTranslucent, grade dependent9–16%
Service lifeShortest of the threeOver 20 years, correctly designed30–50 years
Relative costLowestMiddleHighest
Where we use itPlaygrounds, parking, sportsWalkways, entrances, hospitalityLandmark and long-horizon assets

Weight and grade are not a style choice. They are selected from the design, the structure, the fabric span and the calculated wind load — which is why we do not publish a single fabric specification for a product that has not been designed yet.

Engineering

What’s behind the fabric.

A tensile structure carries load in tension only. Every part of it exists to get that tension into the ground.

Load path through a tensile structure Load passes from the membrane, into the structure, through the connections, into the foundations and finally into the ground. MEMBRANE Carries tension STRUCTURE Masts and cables CONNECTIONS Plates and pins FOUNDATIONS Resist overturning GROUND Takes the load
Anything that interrupts this path — an undersized foundation, a badly detailed connection — becomes the failure, not the fabric.
01

Geometry

Double curvature is not decoration. A surface curved in opposing directions is held in tension everywhere, which is why it stays taut. A flat sail cannot be tensioned and will always move in wind.

02

Structure

Circular hollow section, mild steel or hot-dip galvanised. Round sections resist torsion well, buckle predictably and present the same face to wind from any direction — which matters when the load can arrive from anywhere.

03

Connections

Corner plates, shackles, turnbuckles and cable ends. This is where tension concentrates and where inspection matters most. Most tensile problems are connection problems.

04

Foundations

A tensile mast is loaded sideways and pulled upward, so the foundation resists overturning and uplift rather than simply carrying weight. It is sized from the wind calculation, and it is usually larger than people expect.

05

Drainage

Water goes where the geometry sends it. On a cone it runs off the peak; on a hypar it leaves at the low corners. Deciding where those corners point is a design decision, not an accident.

06

Prestress

A membrane is installed under tension and stays under tension. Too little and it flaps; too much and the loads in the structure rise. Re-tensioning is a normal maintenance operation, not a defect.

Specification

What we build with, and what we design to.

Structure as standard
Sections
Circular hollow section — masts, arms and edge members
Steel
Mild steel, or hot-dip galvanised where exposure requires it
Section standards
EN 10210 hot finished, EN 10219 cold formed, or ASTM A500
Galvanising
To ISO 1461 — 85 µm mean minimum on steel over 6 mm
Finish
Powder-coated over the protective system, colour to your selection
Cables and fittings
Stainless or galvanised, sized with the membrane
Warranty
10 years standard (terms issued with your quotation)
Design references
Wind — Dubai
Dubai Wind Code: 30 m/s ten-minute mean, equivalent to 45 m/s three-second gust, 50-year return
Membrane design
ASCE/SEI 55 Tensile Membrane Structures
Membrane safety
Industry practice applies a factor of roughly 4–5 against ultimate fabric strength for permanent structures
Fabric selection
Grade and weight set by design, structure, fabric span and calculated wind load
Corrosion
Specification raised near the coast — salt, not sun, is what shortens a coating

The codes and standards above are the published references a tensile structure is designed against. The calculation for your structure is produced for your site, and issued with the quotation.

The environment

Designed for the exposure it actually gets.

A structure in Al Ain and a structure on the Corniche face different problems. Neither is solved by a blanket claim about the weather.

Solar and UV

Constant, high-angle and year-round. It decides fabric grade and colour retention more than any other factor.

Heat cycling

Large daily swings work every joint and every fixing. Connections are detailed to move.

Wind

Uplift on an open canopy governs the design. It sizes the mast, the cables and the foundation.

Dust

Settles on any surface and is washed into low corners. It affects appearance and cleaning interval.

Rain

Infrequent and heavy. Where the water leaves the structure matters more than how much falls.

Coastal salt

Near the sea, chloride decides the steel and the coating. Inland the same structure can be built more simply.

Get a price

Tell us about the space.

There is no price on this page because there is no honest one until the site is understood. Answer what you can — with measurements and photographs we can often price it on the call.

01The requirement
02The site
This is what lets us price on the phone. A wide photograph of the space, one of the ground where the masts will land, and a short video walking the area is usually enough.
03How to reach you
This is what we receive 

        

        

          
          
          
          Call instead
          
          

            We reply the same working day. If the site needs looking at, we say so rather than quoting
            blind.
          

        

      

    

  







  

    

      

        
Built work

        
Designed spaces, delivered.

        

          Photographs of ZIL Shades tensile structures. Where a client has not given consent to be
          named, the site is not identified.
        

      

    

    

          A run of coloured hypar sail canopies over a school assembly area beside a sports pitch.
          
Schools & playgrounds

        



          A large multi-mast canopy combining conical peaks and hypar edges over a paved plaza.
          
Parks & public realm

        



          A repeating run of sail canopies on paired masts forming a covered pedestrian route.
          
Walkways & entrances

        



          The underside of a large radial canopy over a school courtyard, showing the crown ring and radial seams.
          
Schools & playgrounds

        



          A four-point hypar sail canopy tensioned between masts and low anchor points.
          
Parks & public realm

        



          A large sail canopy with integrated downlights over a public playground.
          
Parks & public realm

        



          A run of sail canopies over a rooftop pool deck, city skyline behind.
          
Hospitality

        



          A sail canopy over a waterfront promenade walkway.
          
Walkways & entrances

        

  







  

    

      

        
Before you buy

        
Buying a tensile shade? Know what to ask.

        

          Ask every bidder these, including us. The answers separate an engineered structure from a
          fabricated one, and they cost nothing to ask.
        

      

    


    

      
01Who produces the structural calculation, and who checks it?

      
02What wind load has it been designed for, and to which code?

      
03What is the membrane — make, grade and weight?

      
04Are the seams welded or stitched?

      
05What is the steel, and how is it protected?

      
06What size are the foundations, and what are they designed to resist?

      
07What does the warranty cover — fabric, structure, coating, workmanship?

      
08What maintenance does it need, and how often?

      
09Who re-tensions it, and when?

      
10What happens when the fabric reaches the end of its life?

    


    

      A quotation that cannot answer these is not cheaper than one that can. It is a different product.
      See the full buying guidance.
    

  







  

    

      

        Not ready to send a requirement
        
Ask the assistant about tensile structures

        
What a hypar is · Mesh or membrane · What affects the cost · What to put in an RFQ · How to compare two quotations · Inspection intervals

      

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Beyond installation

        
A tensile structure is an asset, not a delivery.

        

          Fabric needs inspecting and re-tensioning. Fixings need checking. Eventually the membrane is
          replaced and the structure carries on. We can hold that whole cycle, or just the part you
          need.
        

        See lifecycle services
          
      

      
    
        
  1. Design
  2. Deliver
  3. Install
  4. Inspect
    5. 
        
  5. Maintain
  6. Refurbish
  7. Renew
    8. 
      

    

  







  

    

      

        
Ready when you are

        
Have a space to shade?

        

          Tell us where the structure goes, what it has to do and what you are working around. We will
          tell you the appropriate direction before anyone talks about engineering fees.
        

      

      

        Send your requirement
          
        Call [ +971 · phone ]
        [ Saturday – Thursday, 8am – 7pm ]
      

    

  










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