
The Lavance Shade Screen, a project designed and built by Benjamin Hall & Michael Lavance, was created out of appreciation for the desert climate and its harsh effects on specific materials. This inspiration and architectural concept led to this unique and regionally specific approach in providing much needed shade to a custom residential outdoor barbecue and bar near the downtown of Scottsdale, Arizona. More images and architects’ description after the break.
A set of steel frames emerge from the ground and wrap from east to west with a simple parabolic structural geometry, allowing user to walk in and around to sit behind the cooking counter. On the north/south axis, the entire structure bows down in respect to the high Arizona summer sun. Attached to the steel frames are reclaimed wood segments that were discarded and upcycled. The placement of the wood segments vary in elevation depending on its relationship to sightline views from under the shade structure and the diurnal movement of the sun, from which shade is to be provided.
