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Shade fabrics take center stage in outdoor entertainment

July 1, 2025  |  Features

From reimagined performance spaces and circus tents to portable solar panels and giant inflatables for outdoor concerts, these fabric structure case studies go beyond the sideshows to take center stage.
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Above-pool shade project shields school swim team

July 1, 2025  |  Case Studies, Features

Hoover Architectural Products, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., took poolside shade to a new level—literally over and above—to protect the swim team at Pine Crest School in Boca Raton. The 8,846-square-foot shade structure, fabricated in two parts, comprises 288 yards of fabric and shades an eight-lane po…
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Game, set and matching trees

June 1, 2025  |  Case Studies, Features

For anyone addicted to the excitement of tennis tournaments, the greatest attractions are the four Grand Slam tournaments held throughout the year.
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Project Showcase: Element Event Solutions

June 1, 2025  |  Case Studies, Features

Each summer at Sobeys Stadium, Toronto, Canada, Tennis Canada hosts the National Bank Open presented by Rogers (formerly Rogers Cup)—a tournament that hosts the world’s best tennis players from the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) tours. And for at…
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Positive recruiting practices

June 1, 2025  |  Features

As the recruiting manager for Made in the Shade Tent Rentals, I embody the first hurdle on the road to employment. If 100 people apply for one job, close to a quarter will make it to the first interview with me over the phone. Of that quarter, fewer than half will make it to an in-person interview. …
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Creating a great place

May 1, 2025  |  Features

Most architects are familiar with urbanist William H. Whyte and his studies of vibrant urban places, especially small public places such as pocket parks and plazas, streets and hardscapes. After close observations of scores of public places, Whyte listed a number of key factors that pertain to succe…
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Fabric architecture on display for millions in Osaka

May 1, 2025  |  Features

A projected 28 million visitors to the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, Japan, will marvel at dozens of fabric architecture pavilions and shade structures as they learn about cutting-edge technology and imagine a potentially more sustainable future. The event opens April 13 and continues through Oct. 13. …
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Pvilion’s solar ag buildings could take farmers off the grid

May 1, 2025  |  Features

Solar-structure manufacturer Pvilion, of Brooklyn, N.Y., is partnering with fabric ag building manufacturer Accu-Steel Inc., headquartered in Templeton, Iowa, to test an “agrivoltaic” structure for farmers. With the addition of walls, it could serve as an off-grid shop or livestock shelter or ha…
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Fabric awning replaces metal—fast

April 1, 2025  |  Features

A New Zealand seafood restaurant in need of a refresh to its outdoor patio turned to Kolorful Kanvas Ltd., of Christchurch. The project replaced the restaurant’s metal awning with a retractable fabric solution and outfitted the outdoor dining area with new screens and signage, making it look more…
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Fabric awnings vs. metal

April 1, 2025  |  Features

There’s no denying it: Metal has become popular for shading products and is taking market share from fabric. However, that doesn’t mean that fabric can’t compete. It brings qualities to the table that metal does not have.
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