Pandanus: Designed to Grow. Infinite Shade. Zero Waste.

Winner of the 2025 Good Design Award,  Pandanus^R is a ground-breaking permanent shade solution for Australian parks and public spaces. Limitless in size and configuration, it transforms urban green spaces into inclusive, sustainable community hubs.

Using low-carbon materials at an affordable price, it delivers exceptional aesthetics and accessibility for communities where high-end park shelters and shade solutions are often out of reach.

	“It has a sustainable and smart structure, it also looks great, providing what is needed (shade) and also pleasure for the visitors looking at it ... Great work.” - Awards Jury, Good Design Australia

Too Hot to Play: The Case for Permanent Shade

We set out to create a scalable shade structure that could adapt to different spaces and budgets - aimed to address the growing gap between community needs and what’s delivered in park spaces.

An overwhelming majority of park users - over 80% - say outdoor shade is essential.
Yet, only 19% of playgrounds have built shade, with just 3% being permanent structures. 

Cancer Institute NSW  

Pandanus was created as a direct response to recent research. A 2022 report commissioned by the Cancer Institute of NSW found that while 83% of community members considered shade specifically for effective protection from UVR to be extremely important, nearly 1 in 5 playgrounds surveyed had no shade at all. Of the playgrounds with built shade, a quarter (26%) had enough built shade structure to cover the whole playground and only six percent of playgrounds had enough tree shade to cover the whole playground.

The report also stated that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) causes over 95% of all skin cancers and good quality shade can reduce UVR exposure by up to 75%.

For us, it's not just a product - it’s a public health and equity tool.

Crafted from 100% recyclable materials and designed for long-term use, it supports the circular economy while helping future generations access green spaces.

As well, its cost-effectiveness makes shade accessible for lower-income communities, addressing the accessibility gap in cities where nearly 1.3 million Australians lack easy access to public parks.

As a scalable and adaptable system, Pandanus allows us to support healthier, more inclusive public spaces - bringing shade and comfort to Australia's most vulnerable,  while promoting environmental sustainability.

Can a Shade Structure Become a Local Landmark? It Just Did.

Building on our commitment to create functional, lasting shade that meets community needs, Pandanus also embraces a deeper role: to celebrate local identity and culture through design.

Focus groups emphasised that visual appeal should never be compromised by functionality - and that became a non-negotiable design principle for Pandanus. Inspired by the geometric pattern of the Pandanus fruit, an idea from our collaborator, Landscape Architect Andrew Galt from RPS Landscape Architecture, shaped the vision for Pandanus to be more than just shade. 

To achieve this, Pandanus offers semi-customisation - the ability to laser-cut meaningful design elements directly into the canopy, transforming the panels into shade-giving public art as they cast shadow art that tells a story.

This is powerfully demonstrated in the installation of Pandanus as a playground shade structure in Moore Park Beach community in Queensland. The turtle motifs honour the area's unique marine wildlife and nearby Mon Repos Turtle Centre nesting site - home to the largest concentration of nesting marine turtles in the South Pacific region.

What could have been just a shelter instead becomes a landmark reflecting the community's identity.

Explore the Moore Park Beach project  

How to Reimage Public Shade with Longevity in Mind

By overcoming the typical barriers of complexity and high cost in permanent installations, Pandanus opens new possibilities for commercial outdoor shelters worldwide. It establishes a fresh industry standard, making quality outdoor shade solutions accessible to communities that previously lacked options.

Pandanus challenges traditional shade structures by introducing a minimalist, modular system using just three core components.  It proves that high-end aesthetics, structural integrity, and affordability can exist together.

Using familiar materials like aluminium and stainless steel, Pandanus combines refinement with innovation. Its fully interlocking canopy structure is a breakthrough in permanent shade design. Pandanus enables faster installation, superior structural consistency, and lower maintenance over time, unlike bespoke fabrication or shade sails which tend to be expensive, inconsistent, or less durable.

A slight roof pitch enhances water runoff and adds visual appeal from every angle. These aren’t minor details; they represent a meaningful shift in what we expect from shade structures.

The result is a globally replicable, cost-effective system that offers greater design flexibility and improves access to shaded, inclusive urban green spaces - especially in underserved and climate-vulnerable communities.

Collaborating for Real-World Image

Developed over two years of engineering by GX Outdoors and guided by the creative vision of RPS Architects, this collaboration merges advanced manufacturing with visionary design, creating a shade solution that is cost-effective, scalable, and built for real-world use.

 

Key Features of Pandanus

• Fast, Simple Assembly
  Just three core components make installation quick and straightforward - cutting down time, tools, and labour on-site.

• Affordable by Design
  Fewer parts and lean manufacturing ensures affordability without sacrificing quality.
  

• Low Maintenance
  Fewer moving parts reduce wear and tear, ensuring long-term reliability with minimal upkeep.

• Modular and Flexible
  Easily scales from one shelter to an entire park network, adapting to a variety of site sizes and needs.
  
• Short Lead Times
  100% Australian-made, ensuring reduced lead times and quicker delivery, allowing for faster rollouts and meeting tight project deadlines.

Don't Just Build Parks - Transform Communities

Pandanus represents a transformative solution in the street and park furniture space,  with significant positive impacts for park users, landscape architects,  and the environment.

In Australia, where 1 in 3 people avoid public spaces due to a lack of shade, and with 1.2 million new homes planned by 2029, the demand for accessible outdoor infrastructure is rising. Pandanus meets this need by offering a customisable, cost-effective, and scalable shade system that brings aesthetic refinement and durability to urban green spaces previously excluded from such solutions due to budget or complexity constraints.

Environmentally, Pandanus actively reduces its carbon footprint by using 100% recyclable aluminium and minimising fabrication waste through its modular design. It avoids toxic materials with non-toxic, low-VOC powder coating and encourages sustainable behaviour by showing that high-quality design can be both affordable and environmentally responsible.

Want to spec Pandanus for your space?

Download product drawings and 3D CAD model instantly by clicking below.