Shade Structures

Shade & Structures

Burning man doesn't mean literaly you burning like the Man. Put on some sunscreen and get yourself under some shade. If you've done any research about going to Burning Man, then you'd probably know that shade is the difference between having a good time and having a bad time (usually ending in the first aid tent at center camp, puking your guts out). Shade structures come in many shapes in sizes.. from a tarp tied to the side of a car, pyramid made of wood & fabric, pvc pipes made into a geodesic dome (very popular) and of course center camp is one of the largest shade structures on the playa.

Our structure is also constructed of same PVC pipe that some of the geodesic domes use but we have it in a slight different configuration. Take a look at this computer generated rendering of our shade structure:

As you can see we decided to use a series of arcs connected slid over some 1/2 inch rebar pounded into the ground. Since the pieces of pvc are flexed when they are put over the ends of rebar, the whole structure is under tension and not very likely come off during a wind storm. There are also cross pieces running the length of the structure to give it front to back rigidity. The structure is about 20 feet long and 18 feet wide... almost a square. We have a thick silver tarp that is 20' x 19' that gets attached all the way to the bottom of the structure on one side and then a third of the way up on the other side. If you covered it all the way to the bottom on both sides... it would be like a cave and get very warm since it keeps air from flowing through the structure. We keep all of our supplies, tent, etc. under our shaded area. It even cuts down on some of the blowing dust.

For more information, you can also check out Bob Stahl's great site or ask around on the Eplaya.