The Kent and Canterbury Hospital – Shade Sail Array – Case Study

Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Kent

Product: Shade Sail Array
Fabric Colours: Bubblegum (Pink), Jazzberry (Purple) and Rich Cream
Size: Three 6m x 6m sails
Contractor: Cardy Construction Ltd.
Garden Designer: Christine Patterson
Contract Value: £10,000
Installation Date: December 2011

The Brief
Kent and Canterbury Hospital had received funding to complete a new sensory garden that could be used by their patients at the Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit within the hospital. Cardy Construction Ltd. were awarded the project to complete the garden and turn the design created by local garden designer, Christine Patterson into reality. The garden design included a requirement for some shade in part of the garden to offer cover over the new outdoor seating area.

The Solution
The shade and shelter products best suited to the design requirements were our Able Shade Sails. Our shade sails feature heavy duty, professional grade fabric that is made from UV stabilised HDPE monofilament and tape yarns that have a lock-stitched knit for more air movement and better channelling of cool breezeways, creating a cool, shaded area underneath.

The chosen colours for the fabric sails were Bubblegum (pink), Jazzberry (purple) and Rich Cream. These where chosen as they were gentle yet colourful colours that perfect for the desired ambiance of the garden and went well with the colour pallet of the garden design.

Installation
The shade sail posts were installed in October 2011 over two days and the fabric sails were installed at the start of December 2011 in just one day, resulting in a 3 working day installation.

We always install shade sails posts in advance as it takes 14-21 days for the concrete to cure. Once the posts have been installed, we then measure the exact distance between the posts and order the shade sail fabric which takes can take up to 2 weeks to arrive. The reason we take the measurements once the posts have been installed is to ensure the fabric size is of an exact match so that when it is fitted the fabric sails are perfectly taut.

The shade sails were installed with no problems along the way and all parties involved were pleased with the end result of not only the shade sails, but the whole garden.

The completion of the project left the Kent and Canterbury Hospital’s Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit with a beautiful sensory garden that features a cool, shaded area that their patients can use during their stay at the hospital.

Above: The finished installation and sensory garden – Image credits: East Kent Hospitals

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