16 Mar A Guide to Using Commercial Shade Sails over Playgrounds

Children love nothing more than spending time outdoors and visiting playgrounds for hours of entertainment, and while using outdoor playgrounds is a great way to get the kids outside, it also means possible exposure to scorching heat and harmful UV rays if there isn’t adequate sun protection. High quality commercial shade sails are the perfect solution for playground shade – they provide a cooler climate below and they also filter out harmful UV rays keeping children and equipment underneath safe. At Advanced Sail Structures, we work with local councils, schools and childcare centres in and around Brisbane to design customised commercial shade sail solutions to cover playgrounds, sport and recreation areas and other outdoor play spaces. Here’s our guide to using shade sails for playground sun protection.

Why Is Shade Over Playgrounds So Important?

In Australia, shade is highly important for safe outdoor play and should be mandatory for all outdoor playgrounds. We have the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, and children are particularly at risk of sunburn and skin damage due to the delicate nature of their skin. Research has shown exposure to UV radiation during the first 15 years of life can greatly increase the risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Shade sails are one of the most effective and affordable ways of protecting children against UV radiation, reducing UV exposure by up to 75%.

Why Use Commercial Shade Sails Over Playgrounds?

Incorporating UV-protective commercial shade sails into a playground design ensures the health and safety of children while they are having fun and keeping active. There are also many other reasons to choose shade sails including:

They provide a cooler climate underneath, blocking up to 98 percent of the sun’s harmful UV rays and providing a temperature drop difference of up to 20 degrees. Not only will this keep children cooler, allowing them to stay active without the risk of overheating, it ensures the play equipment remains cool to touch. This helps to prevent children from getting burns from hot play equipment. It’s important to remember playground burns can also happen during winter if the playground is exposed to the sun long enough.

They increase the lifespan of play equipment – durable commercial shade sails provide excellent protection for the equipment below against the damage that can happen from sun exposure over time. When plastic is overheated, it can warp and crack, not only creating a hazard for children at play but an expensive repair bill for the playground owner.

They are also waterproof – shade sails are available in a waterproof option, so not only will the provide excellent sun protection, they will also provide protection from rain and wind so children can use the playground safely all year round.

They add visual appeal to the play space – with a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours available, there are countless design options and colour combinations to choose from, meeting the needs of any outdoor recreational space. Choose bright blue, red and green sails for a fun look that will complement the below play equipment. For a bushland park or playground area choose natural colours to blend in with the surrounding foliage.

Advanced Sail Structures takes pride in offering top-quality customised shade sails for a wide variety of parks, playgrounds and outdoor spaces. We create innovative shade solutions that ensure our customers and children are protected from the harsh Australian sun. As an essential component of overall design and functionality, commercial shade sails for playgrounds protect the community as well as the recreation equipment for years to come. Contact our friendly team today on (07) 3806 3223 or enquire online.