Design Considerations for Shade Structures
13 Mar 2024 Aaron Barker, Sales Lead
IN BRIEF:
Shade structures and sports covers offer year-round, all-weather spaces for learning and play, making it essential to design them effectively to maximise functionality and value.
Design features like dropped eaves, skylights, and weather protection options enhance usability, ensuring each structure serves its purpose while meeting budget and aesthetic requirements.
Steelcorp brings extensive expertise to school sports cover projects and shade structures, providing quality solutions for local councils, schools, and sports venues.
What is Involved in Designing a Sports Cover?
Function
As a trusted design and construction partner, we collaborate closely with you to optimise space, creating a functional and attractive area tailored to your needs. Many sports cover and shade structure projects begin with a set size—like a warehouse project or court cover—but other critical functional considerations often arise.
Our design team considers factors such as access to classrooms, walkways, and nearby ovals, as well as the orientation of existing buildings and the prevailing weather. This thorough approach ensures a protective, practical, and attractive space that invites students and visitors to gather and enjoy.
Design
Our team’s typical approach to shade structure design features large, clear spans, eliminating the need for center supports. This open space creates versatility, making it ideal for assemblies, sports, outdoor learning, and recreational activities.
Beyond the basic shelter, we integrate additional design elements to enhance usability. Options include skylights for natural lighting, padded posts for added safety, and cantilevered supports for unobstructed views of sports or presentations. A curved roof can also be incorporated for a sleek, modern aesthetic.
Environment
Our steel construction service provides durable structures that block harmful UV rays, making them superior to fabric-based shade structures. While the main roof offers excellent coverage, certain times of day may allow sun or rain to enter the space.

To address this, we offer features like semi-enclosed sides, curtain walls, and gable infills, which help shield the area from weather elements, ensuring comfort and usability.
Efficiency
Our goal is to deliver custom-designed sports covers and commercial sheds that align with your school’s budget and needs, ensuring safety, comfort, and practicality through efficient engineering.
Avoiding excessive steel or oversized components can prevent inflated costs without sacrificing strength or longevity. A well-thought-out, simplified design not only conserves materials but also lightens the structure’s carbon footprint. This efficient approach provides a cost-effective, sustainable solution.
Benefits of Outdoor Learning Spaces
Adding shade structures or sports covers to school grounds offers numerous benefits for students and staff alike.
Primarily, these structures provide essential UV protection, allowing children to participate safely in outdoor activities without risk from harmful sun exposure. Shade structures also foster physical well-being by enabling safe, comfortable play spaces that promote health and activity.
Beyond sun safety, these shaded spaces create ventilated environments ideal for both play and learning. They serve as versatile outdoor classrooms, transforming traditional lessons into interactive experiences.
In addition, these multi-purpose structures can be used for events, assemblies, and gatherings, ensuring students, staff, and visitors stay comfortable and protected.
As a long-term investment,
shade structures are durable and cost-effective, offering lasting value and support to school communities.
"As a strategic investment, shade structures prove to be cost-effective and durable, offering long-lasting protection and value to the school community."
- Aaron Barker, Steelcorp
Why Partner With Steelcorp for Sports Covers and Shade Structures?
Including shade structures or sports covers in school facilities significantly enhances the learning environment, benefiting both students and staff.
As an experienced design and construct partner, Steelcorp brings agility and precision to every project. Our team focuses on balancing form, function, and efficiency, ensuring your shade structures fit your unique goals and future needs.
Types of Sports Covers and Shade Structures We Design:
- Outdoor sports court covers
- Basketball court shelters
- Sports complex canopies
- Playground shade structures
- Multi-purpose outdoor shelters
- Outdoor classroom shade structures
Design Your Shade Structure with Steelcorp
At Steelcorp, we’re committed to using only Australian materials, fabricating each structure at our facility to ensure exceptional quality. Our sports covers and shade structures are engineered to meet the specific requirements of school communities, as well as Department of Education guidelines.
Our goal is to consistently deliver superior results within budget and with minimal disruption to school routines. Reach out to our team to learn more about bringing these versatile, protective structures to your campus.
