What is a COLA at a school?

A COLA is a Covered Outdoor Learning Area: a permanent roofed structure that gives a school an all-weather space for outdoor lessons, assemblies, lunch and sport. Unlike a shade sail, which filters UV but lets rain through, a COLA has a waterproof roof so the space stays usable in wet weather as well as hot weather.

What's the difference between a COLA and a school shade sail?

A shade sail filters UV and is the lower-cost option for covering play areas, seating and walkways, but rain passes through it. A COLA is a permanent waterproof structure, costs more, and gives the school a space that works every day of the year. Many schools use both: sails over play areas, a COLA over the assembly or court space.

Do school shade structures need council approval?

Yes. School shade structures are classified as building works and require structural certification plus council building approval. We prepare the engineering documentation, including Form 15 certification, and work with your certifier through the approval process.

Can shade be installed while school is in session?

We schedule major works during school holidays or outside school hours wherever the program allows. Where work has to happen in term time, we maintain full separation between the work area and student movement, and coordinate noise-sensitive activity around classes and exams.

How much UV protection do school shade sails provide?

Our shade fabrics block up to 98% of UVR and carry a 15-year UV guarantee. For schools working toward or maintaining SunSmart accreditation, the position, size and orientation of the structure determine how much shade actually falls where students are during peak UV hours, and we factor that into the design.

How long do school shade structures last?

A correctly engineered and installed structure delivers decades of service. Fabrics carry a 15-year UV guarantee, and hot-dip galvanised steel frames are built to outlast multiple fabric replacements. The frame, footings and fixings are the long-life components; fabric is the part that gets replaced over the structure's life.

School Shade Sails, Structures and COLAs

Advanced Shade Systems designs, engineers, manufactures and installs school shade sails, covered outdoor learning areas (COLAs) and sports court covers for primary schools, secondary schools, colleges and universities across Queensland. We've worked with public and private schools since 1996, including Brisbane Boys' College, Sheldon College, Kenmore State School, Redeemer Lutheran College, St Margaret's, McGregor High School, Mt Maria Catholic School, Red Hill Special School, Springfield College, St Mark's School and Brisbane Grammar School. Every structure is engineered and certified for its site, and our fabrics carry 98% UVR block with a 15-year UV guarantee.

Call:

07 3823 5644

ASK A QUESTION!

GET A FREE QUOTE

What is a COLA?

A COLA, or Covered Outdoor Learning Area, is a permanent roofed structure that gives a school a large, all-weather space for outdoor lessons, assemblies, lunch areas and sport. Unlike a shade sail, which filters UV but lets rain through, a COLA is built with a waterproof roof so the space stays usable through wet weather as well as hot weather.

Schools typically use a COLA for assemblies and whole-year-group gatherings, outdoor classrooms and learning spaces, covered eating and lunch areas, sports courts and multi-purpose courts, and wet weather play during the rainy season. Where a school needs UV protection but not rain cover, shade sails are the lower-cost option. Where the space has to work every day of the year, a COLA is the right structure.

We design and build both, and we'll tell you honestly which one your space needs.

School shade structures we design and build

Every campus is different. The structures we deliver most often across school sites:

Covered outdoor learning areas (COLAs). Permanent waterproof structures for assemblies, outdoor classrooms, eating areas and courts. Built with engineered steel frames and waterproof membrane roofing.
School shade sails. Cost-effective UV coverage over play areas, seating, sandpits and walkways. Can be printed with school colours, crests or house colours.
Cantilever structures. Posts on one side only, leaving the space underneath completely clear. The right choice over spectator seating, walkways and courts where columns would obstruct play or supervision sightlines.
CL655 waterproof modular structures. Our modular waterproof system, suited to larger covered areas and spectator seating.
Loric Leaves. An organic, leaf-shaped shade form that works as both shade and sculpture. Installed at Redeemer Lutheran College and other Brisbane schools where the structure needed to be a design feature.
Covered walkways and links. Keeping students dry and sun-safe between buildings, which reduces slip hazards and keeps movement between classes running in wet weather.

Most school projects combine two or three of these across the campus. We design the mix at the site assessment.

Where schools use shade

Shade works hardest in the parts of a campus students use every day:

Playgrounds and play equipment. Equipment surfaces reach dangerous temperatures in direct sun, and shaded playground shade extends how much of the day the area is usable.
Sports courts and ovals. Covered basketball, netball and multi-purpose courts allow PE and interschool sport to continue through summer and wet weather.
Eating and lunch areas. Covered seating keeps students out of the sun at the two points in the day when UV is highest.
Assembly and amphitheatre areas. A COLA over the assembly space means the whole-school gathering happens rain or shine.
Walkways, entries and pickup zones. Dry, sun-safe routes between buildings and at drop-off.
School pools and swimming areas. Shade over decks and spectator seating for swimming carnivals and lessons.
Staff and visitor car parks. Covered parking for staff, and sheltered pickup areas for parents.
Sports fields and spectator areas. Shaded seating for carnivals, sports days and interschool fixtures.

UV protection and SunSmart compliance

Australia has among the highest UV levels in the world, and schools carry a duty of care to provide adequate shade during peak UV hours. The Cancer Council's SunSmart guidance recommends shade as a primary control, alongside hats, sunscreen and scheduling.

Our shade fabric blocks up to 98% of UVR and is backed by a 15-year UV guarantee. For schools working toward or maintaining SunSmart accreditation, we can advise on which areas of the campus will deliver the biggest reduction in student UV exposure for the budget available, and sequence the work across multiple years if that suits your funding cycle.

Working safely on school sites

A school is an occupied site with children on it, which changes how the work gets done. On school projects we:

Schedule major works during school holidays or outside school hours wherever the program allows
Maintain full site separation between work areas and student movement
Carry the insurances required for work on education sites
Coordinate with the school on noise-sensitive timing around classes, exams and rest periods
Leave the site clean and safe at the end of each day

Our installation teams have been doing this across Queensland schools and childcare centres for almost 30 years. A client at The Gap Child Care Centre noted our crews completed noisy work before children's rest times and were understanding of the needs of children on site. That's the standard we work to.

Engineering, certification and approvals

School shade structures are building works. They need structural certification and council building approval before they can be installed, and the documentation has to satisfy both your certifier and the department or diocese.

We handle that as part of the project:

Structural design engineered to the site's wind region, in line with AS/NZS 1170.2
Hot-dip galvanised steel frames for long service life in an outdoor school environment
Engineered footings designed for the ground conditions and the loading
Form 15 engineering certification provided with every structural installation
Documentation prepared for your building certifier and council approval

For schools going through a formal procurement process, we can supply the engineering package, comparable project references and compliance documentation your tender requires.

Design that works for a school

Colour and form matter more on a school site than almost anywhere else. A well-designed structure becomes part of how the campus feels, and schools tell us it shows up in open days and enrolment tours.

We offer a wide range of fabric colours and can print school crests, house colours, mascots and sports team branding directly onto the fabric. For schools wanting something more sculptural, Loric Leaves give an organic form that reads as artwork rather than infrastructure. We work with your colours and your architecture rather than dropping a standard product onto the site.

Maintaining school shade structures

School shade works hard and gets inspected. We provide repairs and maintenance across school installations, including re-tensioning, fabric repair, hardware replacement and written condition reports. For schools and education groups managing shade across multiple campuses, inspections can cover the full asset set in one programme, which makes budgeting and compliance reporting straightforward.