Outdoor Shades for your Retirement Community
Encourage an active lifestyle in your 55+ retirement community by adding spectacular outdoor shades for your residents to enjoy.
Our sun shades improve comfort and protection for your residents. Here’s a look at why retirement communities are installing Apollo Sunguard’s shade solutions on their outdoor amenities, like picnic areas, dog parks, parking lots, outdoor courts and fitness areas, pool and spa areas and more.
Outdoor Shades will Lower Temperatures for your Active Residents
The residents of your retirement community will feel 20-degree cooler temperatures beneath Apollo Sunguard’s vibrant outdoor shades because of biomimicry, which refers to their ability to mimic a tree canopy.
Apollo Sunguard’s shade cloth is constructed using high-density polyethylene material that allows air to flow in and out – much like how air travels between the leaves and branches of a tree canopy. The result is a consistent airflow beneath our outdoor shades, cooling the air beneath. Your residents will experience the same feeling from standing under a natural tree canopy.
This means cooler temperatures on pool decks, outside courts like pickleball and shuffleboard, picnic areas and outdoor gathering spots, dog parks and other amenities within your 55+ retirement community. Outdoor shade can create inviting outdoor spaces that people will want to spend time enjoying.
Apollo Sunguard can also offer shade parking for your residents, which will help keep the interior of their cars cooler and block the harsh effects of the sun. Offer car parking shade at community centers, amenity centers, condos, outdoor fitness areas, dog parks and more. Apollo Sunguard’s parking shade structures extend the lives of your residents’ vehicles and prevent exterior damage to the paint, interior damage like cracked dashboards, seats and steering wheels; accelerated tire damage; and decreased battery life expectancy. Your residents will appreciate getting into a cooler car after being parked at an amenity with shaded parking in their retirement community.
Outdoor Shades Block UV Rays, Help Prevent Skin Damage
In addition to providing cooler temperatures, Apollo Sunguard’s outdoor shades block up to 96 percent of UV rays, the leading cause of skin cancer.
A study by International Testing Laboratories, an independent US laboratory, found that the majority of the colors of Apollo Sunguard’s shade sail systems block a minimum of 93 percent of UV rays and some block as high as 96 percent. This means that your residents can enjoy time using their retirement community’s outdoor amenities while knowing they are protected from sun damage, premature aging and skin cancer.
For some of your residents, spending time under shade is a must. As our bodies age, we are more susceptible to skin cancer and damage, and someone who has already experienced skin cancer is seeking shade and protection. Shading a pickleball court can mean hours of playtime that otherwise might not have been possible.
Your retirement community’s management staff will also appreciate outdoor sun shades’ protection against UV rays, which are the leading cause of fading furniture and flooring. According to the Florida Solar Energy Center, “Although visible light, electric lighting, heating, humidity, age of fabrics and fabric dyes all play a part in the process, UV radiation is attributed to 40% of the damage. Protecting against UV is not just important in hot, sunny climates. Even in cold, cloudy climates, UV radiation can damage furnishings.”
Adding UV protection as an outdoor sun shield over your outdoor furniture will help protect your amenities from long-term sun damage. This means less replacement costs, ultimately saving your retirement community money.
Outdoor Shades are Weather Resistant
Apollo Sunguard’s outdoor shades are designed to be weather resistant, no matter what climate or part of the United States your retirement community is in.
The fabric used to make Apollo Sunguard’s shade cloth is known for its strength, durability and vibrant colors. It also resists mildew and mold, which means very low maintenance for the life of the fabric.
Meanwhile, Apollo Sunguard’s shade structures are constructed using superior cold-rolled, galvanized tubular steel with a triple layer of protection. This creates more tensile strength and longer-term corrosion resistance than most steels offer. Our fabricators also use special galvanized welding wire and triple-treat each weld with zinc coating for extreme corrosion protection.
For 55+ retirement communities that are seaside, we offer hot dip galvanization to the sunshade poles and hardware, which adds one more layer of protection against saltwater spray and weathering.
Your maintenance staff will rest easy knowing that Apollo Sunguard’s outdoor shades are weather-resistant and made with the highest quality materials. Your residents can enjoy beautiful, vibrant shade canopies no matter what Mother Nature decides.
Outdoor Shades are Easy to Maintain, Even During Storm Preparation
Your retirement community’s maintenance staff will find it easy to maintain Apollo Sunguard’s outdoor shades while your residents enjoy their community’s lifestyle amenities.
Because Apollo Sunguard’s shade cloth and sunshade poles are weather resistant, very little to no maintenance is required. However, should the sun sail need to be taken down, Apollo Sunguard offers a state-of-the-art, patented Quick Release System™ to make it easy.
With a quick, clean and simple operation using just a standard adjustable wrench, your maintenance team can easily remove the sun sail. No special tools are required. Our Quick Release System™ is made of stainless steel, galvanized hardware with no internal tensioning mechanism that can jam. The cables are hidden within the hem of the shade cloth. Should the need arise, Apollo Sunguard also offers simple and accessible replacement parts.
Should there be a hurricane or storm, the Quick Release System™ makes it fast and efficient to remove the shade cloth. We recommend removing the sunshade sail canopy when winds are predicted to exceed Category 1 hurricane speed of 74 to 95 mph. However, our structures can withstand winds up to 115 mph with the shade covers in place and up to 180 mph with the shade covers removed.
Maintaining outdoor shades has never been made easier, and your retirement community’s residents will be able to enjoy their shade for as long as possible before a storm.
Outdoor Shades are Backed by the Strongest Industry Warranty
Your retirement community’s outdoor shades from Apollo Sunguard are backed by the strongest warranty in the industry so that you know you are giving your residents the best sunshade for their active lifestyle. The shade cloth is protected for 15 years and the shade structure for 20 years.
Apollo Sunguard’s sunshade poles are protected against corrosion, deterioration and faulty workmanship. Apollo Sunguard provides a 20-year non-prorated warranty on the structural integrity of the steel framework against all structural damage. A one-year non-prorated warranty is provided on all powder coat finishes.
Apollo Sunguard’s shade cloth is protected against deterioration, rot, cracking, faulty workmanship, and seam (thread) failure resulting from ultraviolet (UV) exposure, mold or mildew. Apollo Sunguard provides a 15-year non-prorated warranty on all Sunguard Shade Cloth HDPE fabric covers (5-year non-prorated warranty on all Waterproof Sunguard Shade Cloth HDPE fabric covers).
As the oldest privately owned shade manufacturer in the United States, Apollo Sunguard has decades of experience delivering consistent, customer-focused service and superior shade solutions nationwide. We have experts on staff who can assist you in whatever sun shade you can imagine for your 55+ retirement community, including designers and engineers who can create shade structures that are uniquely yours. Speak to one of our staff members today at 1-800-319-1010 or [email protected].
