Australia’s intense sunlight and harsh environment make shade structures a vital part of our built landscape. Schools, sporting venues, retail precincts, hospitality outlets and public spaces can all benefit from our range of premium-quality engineered shade structures, designed to offer UV protection, outdoor comfort and long life-span.
Why We Need Shade Structures
With one of the highest UV indexes in the world, Australia faces a significant public health challenge: prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays is a leading cause of skin cancer. Providing adequate shade in outdoor public space is more than just an amenity – it’s a necessary health measure.
Engineered Shade Structures vs. Shade Sails
While common shade sails offer a lightweight solution (usually using HDPE mesh fabrics), they often rely on single-point sewn connections and lack structural rigidity.
Engineered shade structures, like those offered by MakMax Australia, offer more durable and long-life shade protection. The key difference lies in their construction: MakMax engineered shade structures utilise durable, corrosion-resistant steel frames that allow for strong, multi-point tensioning systems. Corner connections feature membrane plates and use cables for edge tension.
The steel frame and multi-point connections allow for precise tensioning of high-tech membranes such as PVC and PTFE, ensuring optimal performance in blocking harmful UV rays and withstanding varying weather conditions.
By contrast, shade sails, with their simpler, lighter materials, are cheaper and easier to install, but are often more vulnerable to wind loads and typically offer less durability and much shorter design life.
The MakMax Advantage
The MakMax range of engineered shade, comprising Modular Shade Structures and Architectural Umbrellas; offer several advantages over common shade sails:
- Durability: The steel frame construction ensures that MakMax structures can endure long-term exposure to the elements, far outlasting the typical lifespan of lighter-grade shade sails.
- Strength: The robust support allows for double-curvature membranes, creating a more stable structure, capable of withstanding wind and weather extremes.
- Precision Tensioning: Unlike shade sails, which can sag or lose tension over time, MakMax structures are tensioned using stainless steel cables and hardware to maintain shape and structural integrity.
- Flexible Design: Available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours, these structures can be adapted to suit any outdoor environment, adding both functional and aesthetic value.
- Low Maintenance: The architectural-grade fabrics are easy to clean, UV-stabilised, and resistant to fungi and microbial damage, making them a long-lasting and low-maintenance option.
Engineered Shade Materials and Design
Our tensile membrane canopies are crafted from long-life, 100% UV-stabilised fabrics. Whether you choose a waterproof membrane structure or mesh fabric for shade protection, each canopy is welded and reinforced for strength and durability. The frames are manufactured using a four-step protective system, ensuring their longevity in Australia’s tough outdoor environments.
Stainless steel components, UV-resistant plugs, and spun aluminium elements complete the design, making MakMax engineered shade structures not only strong but also aesthetically refined.
Designed for Australian Conditions; Suitable Anywhere!
MakMax Australia’s Architectural Umbrellas and Modular Shade Structures are engineered specifically for local conditions and are designed to meet all relevant Australian Standards for structural integrity. These stringent conditions also make them suitable to other countries around the Pacific and we have distribution partners in New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Hawaii and continental USA.
See the full range of MakMax Modular Shade Structures or visit our Case Studies for some examples.