Shade n’ Sails announced as STA award winners for their community boosting Yarram pool project

Congratulations to Shade n’ Sails – the 2023 STA ‘Blinds & Awnings – Commercial’ category winners.

Shade n’ Sails fabricated and installed 32 Ziptrak® blinds – a total of 102 linear metres – and 37 linear metres of clear fixed panels, each with 2.8m drop. A total of 390 sqm of Achilles Roll Clear Dimensionally Stable PVC was used in this award winning project.

The Yarram pool was open, exposed to the elements and difficult to keep clean. Ultimately, unusable and undesirable for much of the year.

To improve the cleanliness of the pool, reduce the time and money spent on cleaning and maintenance, and to allow the pool to be used year-round in any weather, Shade n’ Sails carefully designed an enclosed structure using Ziptrak® track guided blinds fitted with Achilles Rollclear Dimensionally Stable clear blinds.

Meeting pool safety requirements

The clear blinds, even when lowered, still maintain complete visibility, and meet safety regulations. The quick release and easy operation of the blinds also allow quick access to the pool.

“We have used the Achilles Rollclear Dimensionally Stable for many years as its easily compatible with Ziptrak®, which we sell and endorse heavily.

The stability and reliability of this fabric are major benefits to our customers as the clear blinds hold their shape even as the pool heats and cools, and in an environment like this, where the blinds will be raised and lowered multiple times a day in some cases, the clear will remain in good condition longer.

For large blinds, like the ones in this project, the fabric welds exceptionally well and doesn’t affect the view or aesthetics.”

Where expertise and experience counts – overcoming design challenges

What were the biggest challenges?

“The project required us to create each blind individually. This was due to a number of reasons:

• The membrane structure we built has round columns, which we had to fit the Ziptrak® blinds to. The blinds were squared up to the column at different curves/ angles. One end of a blind may have sat further forward on a column, where the other side sat further back on a column in order to create a square support for the blind. We manufactured a custom bracket to fit to each column.
• The steel columns were also 7.5m apart, larger than the largest track guided blind, so we factored in Ziptrak® mid posts between the structural columns to break the blinds down to 3.5-4 metres, with 32 blinds installed in total.
• The ground level varied from one end to the other end and from side to the other side of the structure, so each blind drop was different.
• The approx. 2.8m drop of each blind required high frequency weld running vertically through each blind. The weld needed to be clean and clear to comply with the visibility requirements of the pool’s safety regulations.
• The varying temperatures of the pool enclosure when in use and warmed required a dimensionally stable clear.”

Perhaps the best news to come from this project, is increased patronage as this local hub – even during the cold winter months. The blinds help during cooler seasons as they provide protection from the elements, making the pool environment more comfortable and more desirable to locals. The rattle-free Ziptrak® blinds evenly spread the wind load, not contributing unnecessary noise to the enclosed structure, even in their busiest season. The blinds have improved the appeal of the pool as the structure provides shade in the summer, while the blinds (when lowered overnight) will help prevent animals and debris entering the pool area, keeping it consistently clean in peak periods.

Working with us

For more information about Shade N Sails and their award-winning commercial structures, visit their website.

To work with Ziptrak® and Achilles Rollclear Dimensionally Stable Clear PVC – supplied and distributed Australia-wide by the Nolan Group – email [email protected] or call 1300 35 75 85.