THE FUTURE OF SHADE IS HUMAN-CENTERED, CUTTING-EDGE

When natural disasters and wars displace families, The Fold, the grand-prize-winning entry in the Humanitarian category of the 2015 Future of Shade competition (an international design competition hosted by Sunbrella ® and Architizer™) allows refugees and survivors to define the most appropriate shelter for their families through a modular emergency shelter system made from just two materials—fabric and plastic.

For those seeking a higher power, the winning entry in the Wellness Garden category filters light, shadows and air through cascading fabric attached to a flexible building of simple steel framing.

“The Mosque of the Light is innovative in the fact that it’s a re-rendering of a typological ideal,” said juror David Rubin of Land Collective. “It doesn’t need to be a mosque; it could be any type of structure that offers enlightenment. There are fundamental ideas about passing through thresholds, changing the human condition that can be understood across cultures and across religions.”

HUMANITARIAN GRAND PRIZE:

The third winning entry in the Building Shade category is Helicon, an exterior fabric sunscreen that offers a modular, passive solution to reduce energy use and prevent solar heat gain.

“This year’s winning entries show not only how shade protects, but also how it can help tell a story of a space and the people who occupy it,” said Gina Wicker, architect and design market director for Glen Raven Custom Fabrics. “Businesses big and small can learn from these architects and designers whose ideas are on the cutting edge of shade design innovation.”

This year’s competition received 190 submissions from 36 countries including the U.S., Canada, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Italy, China and Bolivia. Explore all of the winning entries and watch a video about the competition at futureofshade.com.

WELLNESS GARDEN GRAND PRIZE: