TUUCI, the Miami-based designer of innovative shade products, introduced it largest shade offering to-date during the HD Expo in Las Vegas last week, immediately grabbing industry accolades with a design excellence award in the outdoor category during the IIDA/HD Product Design Competition. This annual competition is sponsored by the International Interior Design Association, a leading global professional organization for interior designers, and Hospitality Design, sponsors of the Expo.

“This award is particularly significant for us because it’s awarded by industry professionals who thoroughly understand the needs of their clients throughout the hospitality category,” said Dougan Clarke, founder and CEO of TUUCI. “It’s this type of recognition that re-energizes our design, manufacturing, customer service, sales and marketing teams.”

TUUCI created its largest innovation in shading to-date in response to the growing demand for ever larger shaded areas for hotels, resorts and restaurants. The new TUUCI Shade Pod features from one to four separate canopies supported by a single mast, offering expansive shaded areas totaling more than 250 square feet.

“The movement toward larger shaded areas for hospitality is being driven by several factors,” Clarke said. “Shading represents opportunities for increased revenue and, just as important, increased comfort and accessibility for your guests. Properties that adopt the Shade Pod will be making a bold statement about their commitment to the guest experience.”

The new Shade Pod rounds out TUUCI’s offerings of expansive shade products that feature cantilevered shade canopies mounted and controlled from single masts for maximum useable shaded areas. The Shade Pod is customizable using one to four canopies to create distinct shaded areas for multiple uses, including deep seating, dining and shaded pool areas adjacent to seating.

With separate lifting mechanisms, any of the canopies can be deployed at any time in any of four different directions. Through precision engineering, canopies can be opened and closed without disturbing furniture underneath, and counter-weighted lifting mechanisms make opening and closing easy for any hospitality staff member.   

The canopies are each eight-foot squares and fabricated from the TUUCI Tuff-skins collection of UV resistance, long-lasting and easy-to-clean woven fabrics. Masts are available either as satin anodized aluminum or in TUUCI’s proprietary Aluma-TEAK, which offers the authentic look of wood gain in a no-maintenance finish. Portable weighted and in-ground mounting options are available.

“As with all of our products, the Shade Pod is engineered for the most demanding environments on the planet, from ocean side to desert,” Clarke said. “Our modular design, marine grade components and inventory of replaceable parts have been extended to the Shade Pod to assure extended life.”  

In addition to the introduction of the Shade Pod during HD Expo, TUUCI also displayed its Plantation MAX Cantilever and St. Tropez Pavilion. The Plantation MAX Cantilever is an oversized parasol with an off-set mast in TUUCI’s Aluma-TEAK finish, creating up to 144 square feet of uninterrupted shade. The St. Tropez Pavilion encompasses three fabric walls and a unique, height adjustable, retractable awning as well as interior privacy drapes ideal for creating a secluded changing or storage area.  
    
About DOUGAN CLARKE
Dougan Clarke began his career as a custom craftsman for a boat yard in Miami. Under the tutelage of his mentor, renowned South Florida craftsman and engineer Fred Herman, Dougan learned applied materials, material sculpting, molding, canvas construction and manufacturing methods from the marine industry. Clarke has adopted these principles and processes in everything he designs for TUUCI.

About TUUCI
Since its inception 16 years ago, TUUCI has redefined the shade category with innovative shade structures. In addition to artistic beauty, TUUCI products are engineered with marine grade components that are durable and easy to operate. All shade platforms are custom-made at the Miami headquarters and are distributed worldwide through strategically located service centers. Outdoor cafés and many of the world's leading resorts, hotels and restaurants have selected TUUCI because of this combination of beauty, durability and function.

Keeping the environment top of mind, TUUCI's manufacturing facility follows an Environmental Sustainability Program reducing solid waste and recycling objects from plastics to steel to fabric and beyond. With 100 percent replaceable parts, TUUCI products have an extended lifespan resulting in less waste. Follow TUUCI on Facebook, Twitter and through the company blog. On the Web at www.tuuci.com.