Light and shade are essential components of architecture. Sunlight can enliven a space, or it can make it unbearably hot and bright. The way architects and designers create shade for buildings, homes and public spaces transforms the way people use them.

The advent of cutting-edge technologies has enabled new building typologies. Just as steel elevators and air conditioning have changed the built environment, fabric’s versatility opens up new opportunities for aesthetically pleasing shade structures that take building design and function to a new level.

For the fifth year, Sunbrella partnered with Architizer, the largest online community of architects and designers gathered for inspiration and idea exchange, to crowdsource the latest thinking on shade innovation. The Future of Shade competition called on designers and architects to create new conceptual visions in shade design using Sunbrella fabric for three categories: building shade, wellness gardens and humanitarian. Whether you’re a designer, architect or fabricator, we hope the selection of entries presented here provides a source of inspiration for your own shade solutions.