Shade with boat sails

A concept created for a conscious lifestyle.

Of all the options that exist for shading, stretched shade sails are the simplest, most economical, and most aesthetic type of awning, as long as we have a facing, wall, or tree that acts as a support for stretching the fabrics. Only three to four anchor points are needed to create a flat, sturdy surface that provides shade and UV protection.

However, despite being simple solutions, there are several aspects to take into account when designing and properly installing shade sails. The first thing to take into account when designing a shade sail is to analyze the environment where it will be installed to identify the possible supports that can be used, analyze their resistance and whether auxiliary structures or support masts should be incorporated. You must think carefully about what the mission of the sails will be, since they can be used to provide shade, provide privacy, protect us from rain and wind or a combination of several, as is the most common.

It should also be considered in what position they should be located so that they adequately fulfill their function. The sails must be installed with a certain slope to help drain the water and prevent it from damming, and they must always be perfectly taut so that in strong winds they have good behavior in terms of resistance and noise. Another fundamental aspect to take into account is the size of the shade sail, shade sails of more than 20 m2 are not recommended, however, combinations of several sails can be made to cover more space or achieve a combined effect. The distance between the sails and their anchor points must also be reduced, the closer the sail is to its anchor point, the more stable it will be. A distance between 40 cm and 120 cm is recommended.

Taking these aspects into account, it will be very easy to design a suitable and safe shade sail system, designed to be easily installed when the sun bothers and easily removed when the sun is appreciated. They are usually used from April to October in Europe. Its assembly and disassembly is done in a few minutes, leaving the anchors installed on the walls or ceiling in place until the next placement of the sail.

At DVELAS we use recovered boat sails to carry out our shading. Generally, the fabric used is a reinforced Dyneema® membrane, an incredibly resistant and ultra-light fiber used in sectors that require extreme resistance. The membrane of these sails is reinforced with aramid and carbon fibers and their backlit appearance is similar to that of the heather roofs used in the Mediterranean, making them the most beautiful sails on the market.