This shade cloth structure at Ford Windsor, built by Profile Shade Structures, with engineering by Osborn Lane, shows what can be achieved with thoughtful design.

Shade cloth sails on posts are one of the most economical forms of fabric structure, but this project looks anything but cheap. The overlapping wave form of the sails is widely admired, and the blue and white fabric reflect the dealership’s corporate colours. The shade cloth protects cars and customers from the full force of the sun, and more importantly, the sails protect the cars from hail damage. From and insurance point of view, hail storms are as serious natural disasters as floods and bushfires.