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How Shade Structures Can Improve School’s Commercial Property

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If you own a private school, then it’s in your best interest to regularly renovate it and upgrade it with the latest facilities. 

This not only improves the quality of life of your students and staff, but it also attracts prospecting families to consider enrolling their children in your campus.

There are many facilities and installations you can consider propping up on your school property. From pavilions to elevated platforms, the number of potential additions across different budget levels that are near-endless.

Another great installation to consider in your school is a commercial shade structure. This exterior feature improves both a school’s aesthetics and safety levels through its shade-providing properties.

There are several benefits to putting up a shade structure on a property, but if you’re still not convinced, then let’s explore six of these benefits in greater detail.

1. Provides Sun and Rain Protection

While it’s true that children love to play and enjoy their time in the sunshine, unprotected exposure to it can put them at risk of heat-related problems, like dehydration and dizziness. Health risks can become even more potent during extra hot days, potentially leading to sunburns and heat stroke.

While playing in the rain is much less fun for them, the health risks of exposure are still there. In particular, being wet from torrential rain can lead to a weakened immune system, leading to a higher risk of catching a cold.

Constant downpours can also damage the things the kids are carrying in their backpacks, like laptops and textbooks. Rainy days can also halt outdoor events from pushing through, which can be a big schedule disruptor.

With a shade structure, you’re ensuring that students have refuge under the elements when they’re outside the main school building. This ensures the continuity of events held outdoors. Furthermore, it’s also useful during pick-up and drop-off times, as students can wait under these structures without worrying about getting themselves and their items wet.

Aside from temperature and element protection, a shade structure also helps prevent glare from direct sunlight. This allows individuals to easily see things in front of them. For example, a sports game held with a shade structure over it helps both players and spectators see the game better without sunlight obstruction. 

2. Makes Outdoor Spaces More Inviting and Comfortable

If you want to decongest the number of students in the hallways and indoor waiting areas after class, installing an outdoor shade structure is a good course of action. This is because this structure provides students with an extra place to stay and lounge in.

This reduces overcrowding inside the building, which can help promote safety and comfort for students and teachers both indoors and outdoors. In addition, a shade structure also makes the school’s outdoor vicinity much more inviting, which can be a pleasant experience for the entire student body, especially once the school is dismissed.

Furthermore, an outdoor shade structure also allows your student body to appreciate their school from the outside. It provides them a calming space to reflect or have good conversations with their friends without being constantly barraged by heat and rain. These conditions can make the shade structure a part of the school the student will remember for life and be nostalgic over.

3. Protects Equipment and Building Conditions

Another perk of a shade structure is its ability to lengthen the life of the fixtures underneath it. 

Installing a shade structure on top of various school equipment can help slow down the deterioration process of these fixtures. For example, an outdoor waiting area with benches or a playground with metallic play equipment can all benefit from having a shade structure on top of it, as it increases their longevity.

The reason why a shade structure is so effective in this scenario is because it’s no longer exposed to the constant cycle of sun and rain. Sunlight and UV rays can penetrate through paint, causing metallic structures to chip and degrade faster than they otherwise would. Rain, on the other hand, can accelerate rusting.

With a shade structure, not only are you maximising the usability of the asset, but you’re also lowering your total repair expenses. You’re also providing your students with working and near-flawless equipment, which can improve their quality of life and also help in attracting potential investors.

4. Adds Visual Interest

A shade structure isn’t just a functional shade provider. With the right design, it can also become a visual statement for your property. This is especially true if you’re putting the shade structure in the front of your property where it’s facing the road.

Many shade structure installation services like Greenline work hand-in-hand with clients to ideate and create the perfect shade structure design. These professional services can influence the type, colourway, material, shape, and size of the shade structure to best fit your school’s needs.

For instance, if you want to have a star-shaped shade structure with a colourway that matches your school logo or building, then you can make that suggestion. For the vast majority of the time, your shade structure partner will be more than happy to consider and accommodate your suggestion.

The decorative aspect of shade structures can be a good way to distinguish yourself from your competitors. This can make your school a more desirable choice for parents new in town seeking to enrol their child in a seemingly nice campus.

5. Creates More Spaces for Learning and Recreation

Another perk of shade structures is their ability to zone and protect sections of land surrounding your main building.

Shade structures don’t only cover a single bench or a small area; they can cover a wide expanse of land. This grants you the freedom to use this land to your advantage. As a school, you can repurpose underutilised outdoor zones to create a new space for learning and/or recreation.

For instance, you could transform a shaded area into an outdoor PE field. With a shaded space, you wouldn’t need to rely on an indoor gym or an exposed track for all your physical education classes, as this shaded PE classroom can help you introduce and run a wider range of PE classes.

Furthermore, you can also transform these areas into spaces for learning and relaxation. You can, for instance, repurpose it as a quiet space to study and read. You can even transform the space into an extended outdoor cafeteria, allowing more students to eat without fear of getting exposed by rain and sun.

In any case, a shade structure helps you harness your school property to its maximum potential, enhancing the value of your school in turn. A shade structure can also provide a comfortable and shaded space for outdoor activities, allowing students and teachers to enjoy the fresh air without being exposed to harsh sunlight. Additionally, the addition of stunning patio curtains can further enhance the aesthetic appeal of the shade structure, making it an inviting and visually appealing space for students, staff, and visitors. With the right design and materials, a shade structure can serve as a valuable asset to any school, providing numerous benefits for the entire school community.

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6. Increases Property Value

A commercial shade structure isn’t a one-time installation. Once built, it is built for life. With proper maintenance, this structure can last as long as the commercial building itself, if not outlive it.

With that said, this renovation project can be a great investment for school owners looking to sell their school in the medium or long term, given the fact that it increases the property value. 

And even if you do decide to keep your school, having a shade structure helps provide comfort, convenience, protection, and shelter from adverse weather conditions. It’s a good, practical investment that’s fairly affordable to install and useful for the entire student body.

Furthermore, the aesthetic enhancement can be eye-catching to the right investors. And even if it’s not the most visually appealing thing, it still has its functions. The addition of this structure can drive up your school property’s market value, which makes it a no-brainer investment in the vast majority of cases.