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Project Details

Fabric 1

Commercial 95 -340
Producer/Manufacturer: Gale Pacific USA Inc.
Primary Use: Main Fabric

Engineer Name 1
Trevor Blackann / Craig Huntington

Engineer Company 1
GuildWorks / Huntington Design

Design Name
Sebastian Collet, Delisha Govender, Mar Ricketts

Design Company
GuildWorks

Architect Name
Jamie Philips

Architect Company
CMG Lanscape Architecture

Fabrication Company
GuildWorks

Installation Name
Sebastian Collet

Installation Company
GuildWorks

Please describe the project specifications

The client needed the first shade structure for this 24-acre community space to provide relief from hot summer days and create a gathering place for workshops and events. Despite being popular for walking and enjoying nature, the site lacked trees or shade coverage.

The challenge was creating a structurally sound installation on a natural site without concrete foundations while maximizing visual appeal and cost efficiency through standardized fabrication. The solution required innovative anchoring solutions that minimized environmental impact.

The design features a multi-piece HDPE shade fabric array with overlapping panels functioning as one cohesive system. The 100' x 95' structure consists of one large hexagonal fabric piece suspended above six identical diamond-shaped panels in a 3-way symmetrical array, creating approximately 2,600 square feet of shade coverage. Six posts of alternating heights, cable-guyed to only nine anchor points, achieve maximum visual impact through efficient material use and load distribution.

Guy lines connect directly to helical anchors installed up to 30 feet deep, eliminating concrete foundations and associated costs, lessening carbon impact, and ensuring options for moving the structure as the park develops. The pattern symmetries enable repeated membrane and hardware patterns, fixed linkages, fewer tensioning points, and evenly distributed loads. Posts are pinned at the base, allowing them to pivot into place during installation while demonstrating perfect balance—the pin connections hold no bending moment and require the guy system for stability. A steel cable perimeter independent of the fabric panels ensures structural integrity even if the fabric is damaged.

The concrete-free design provides ecological benefits while allowing future flexibility as the park develops. The community has embraced this installation as both an artistic feature and an essential infrastructure, successfully hosting gatherings, workshops, and events while demonstrating that high-performance shade systems can be achieved without environmental compromise.

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