Case Study: Preserving the Essence of the Wolf Trap Experience
![]() ![]() | Nov 23, 2024 |
Protection from the elements while preserving views of the park鈥檚 beautiful natural surroundings.
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is unique in the American park system. It is the only national park whose main mission is the presentation of the performing arts. Every May through September, the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts hosts multiple events in several outdoor theaters and venues in the park, including theater, musical concerts of all genres, and more.
In addition to performances, the park includes four outside covered decks that are rented out for events such as weddings or large parties where guests can enjoy the scenic natural backdrop. One deck is set aside exclusively for members of the Wolf Trap Foundation.
Even though the decks are covered, rain can sometimes be an issue, especially closer to the outer edges. To get the most out of the covered decks there needed to be a way to keep out the rain while preserving essential views of the park鈥檚 beautiful natural surroundings. Together, Draper庐 and Goodwin Brothers Shades and Specialties, LLC of Rockville, Maryland came up with the perfect solution for the Wolf Trap Foundation: The motorized FlexShade庐 ZIP.
鈥淎lthough people typically think of shades for controlling glare and solar heat gain through windows, they鈥檙e also very effective in this kind of application,鈥 said Clint Childress, LEED AP, solar control solutions product manager. 鈥淭he rain doesn鈥檛 penetrate the mesh shade fabric, and the 鈥淶IP鈥 feature on both edges keep the panel securely in place, so there鈥檚 no leakage. It also allows Wolf Trap to create a controlled climate for a more year-round events space impervious not just to rain, but also wind, insects, and temperature extremes.鈥
But there is always an additional area of possible concern in this type of setting: safety.
鈥淲hen you have a lot of people and objects in close proximity to the edge of a deck area, there is sometimes a concern that a shade will deploy and either cause an injury or be damaged,鈥 said Childress. 鈥淲e avoid that possibility by using radio-controlled obstruction detection motors. If a person or object is in the way of a descending shade, the unit senses the obstruction and reverses course.鈥
In all, Draper庐 and Goodwin Brothers provided 62 FlexShade庐 ZIP shades for the park, located outside Washington, DC.
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