Designed to create a large convertible shading roof for the external courts in the Medinah Haram Piazza, 250 units of 25 x 25 metre shading umbrellas were commissioned to shelter 106,000m2 of the piazza from the elements and also improve climatic conditions.

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One single open umbrella structure spans an area of 625m2. As the components for each umbrella are so large and also have to withstand potentially extreme climatic conditions, the cladding needed to be made from advanced composites.

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PCT was commissioned to build and install the mosaic tiled, external claddings for all 250 units of foldable umbrellas.

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The arm claddings and cladding attachments were built from a lightweight composite sandwich structure of glass fibre epoxy resin laminate, providing high torsional stiffness. They were then fixed to the flexible umbrella arm systems. When closed, the arms cover the membrane while additional claddings on top of the arms form a prismatic casing to protect the folded Teflon membrane.