Sunshade and a method of constructing a sunshade

A sunshade installation including a plurality of spaced apart sunshade elements, each of said sunshade elements forming an inclined arch and said plurality of sunshade elements forming an array of inclined arches substantially parallel to each other and aligned to extend in a generally north-to-south direction;

• each of said sunshade elements having a reference shade point in a shade area, said sunshade elements being configured such that each sunshade element has a thin profile approximating a reference solar path when viewed from said reference shade point, the reference solar path being the diurnal solar path viewed from the reference shade point over predetermined days in winter, thereby maximising the direct admission of sunshine to the shade area over said predetermined days;
• said sunshade elements being configured such that each sunshade element presents the maximum or near maximum breadth of its face when it is viewed from the reference shade point and appears as a broad arc approximating the reference band of diurnal solar paths occurring over a predetermined period in summer, thereby providing blocking of sunshine to the shade area;
• thus resulting in the direct admission of sunshine in winter and the blocking of sunshine in summer, and wherein during the spring period winter sunshine is gradually replaced by summer shade and during the autumn period summer shade is replaced by winter sunshine, such that the sunshade elements provide effective blocking and direct admission of sunshine to the shade area over the annual solar cycle.