The Various Degrees of Shade

Look up "shade/shades" in the dictionary and you'll find an extensive list of meanings. In addition to shade being something that protects us from the sun 'sun shade', or from the light 'lamp shade', it can also refer to a secluded or obscure place "he was living in the shades".

"Shade" is also used to describe a little bit of something. Not unlike a 'pinch' of something.

Shade also refers to colour "the comparative darkness caused by the interception or screening of rays of light from an object, place, or area."

There are also many expressions in the English language that refer to "shades" of something, meaning the degrees or spectrum.

For instance 'various shades of grey' is a common expression used to explain that nothing is black and white. In other words, occurrences in life are not one extreme or another, but rather fall somewhere in between. Similarly, "a shade of difference" describes a slight variation or degree.

More obscure meanings include:

A spectre or ghost

A shadow

One of the spirits of the dead inhabiting Hades (according to Greek and Roman religion)

In gardening there are three types of shade- full shade (5+ hours of sun/day), part shade (2-5 hours of sun/day), full shade (less than 2 hours of sun/day). There are a number of ways to shade from the sun. They include:

1. Shading using non-living materials: shading the outside of a building with some sort of screen reduces solar glare, and can also reduce the inside temperature. It is also possible to for the shade structure to absorb the outside sunlight and re-radiate it as heat.

2. Shading using living materials: when building a house or designing a office block, landscape architects will often suggest planting a tall tree on its sunny side. This is a natural way to block out sun and keep the building cool. Overhanging trees like weeping willows and tall vines, like Boston ivy, Virginia creeper, and morning glory, are also effective in this way.

3. Fabric shades: fabric can be used to shade any type of area. Moreover, it can be quite aesthetically pleasing as fabric comes in a wide range of colours and can be twisted and turned into a wide variety of shapes and styles. Fabric is light and as a result is more of an asset to an overall interior or exterior look, than say a metal obstruction or wooden blinds.

Solar panels are a great renewable energy source, especially for those people living in warmer climates. In addition to absorbing the heat of the sun in order to keep your home or office cool, solar panels convert their trappings into energy that is useful for many other things.


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Fabric Architecture Ltd has been specialising in the design, engineering, manufacture and installation of tensile fabric structures since 1984. Learn more about fabric shades at http://www.fabricarchitecture.com/shade-structures