A Sunshade-Tent Hybrid That Flips-One Structure, Two Forms

I am A High school student(9th grade).

On a sunny beach day in my mind, I dreamed of two things: a sunshade and a tent. a wild idea hit me—what if I could have one structure that flips between both functions? A transformable architecture piece, like a beach Transformer!

The Concept: One Structure, Two Forms

1. The key concept is a reversible structure: flip it one way, it's a tent; flip it the other, it's a sunshade. I imagined using double-layered PP plate sheets because they are lightweight, waterproof, durable, and environmentally friendly—with just the right balance of stiffness and flexibility. Semi-transparent white material blocks direct sunlight while providing soft, comfortable diffused light ideal for reading.

With sandbags securing the base, this structure would become a beautiful sight on the beach.

With slight modifications, it could also serve as temporary emergency shelter in disaster areas—easy to transport, quick to assemble and disassemble, reusable, and low-cost."

1，60 pre-cut white paper strips (1x8 inches):3x20=60 pieces，

2，Stapler

3，Scissors

4，Utility knife

(I currently cannot make a 1:1 real-scale prototype. If I had the chance, I would use milky white PP double-layer plastic sheets, with joints fixed by bolts or plastic zip ties. )

I started with a tiny 1:20 scale model using notebook paper.

At first, I tried straight components, hoping they'd curve naturally into a dome. But not work.

Each piece needed to bend into an arc. Curves are magic when it comes to forming space.

I upgraded to sturdier white cardstock for the 1:10 model. I bought 1 inch x 8 inch paper strips.

To make construction easier and more precise, I decided that each structural unit should consist of three paper strips:

The first strip is folded and gently bent to hold a curved shape;

The other two are folded with defined creases to help maintain angles;

All three are stapled together with slight offsets—each forming around a 5-degree angle with its neighbors.

I made 18–20 identical units. They looked like structural flower petals!

Each unit was stapled at two connection points to form a circular chain. When the ends met—boom!—I had a stable, dome-shaped structure. A tent was born!

Here comes the fun part. I gently pulled the outer edge of the circle outward, then flipped the center upward. Just like that—snap!—my tent turned into a sunshade. The transformation felt like flipping a pancake… but way more architectural.

To build this at full scale with PP plate sheets:

1. I'd bend and layer real PP sheets the same way, with bolts or zip ties instead of staples;
2. The nodes could use hinges, brackets, or removable fasteners;
3. Colors? Go for beachy whites or bright tropical tones—make it pop!

A low-cost, quick-to-assemble, beautiful little structure that would look right at home on any beach.

But it's more than just pretty: this could also be used in disaster relief shelters for unhoused communities. We can cover the structure with plastic sheets (or repurposed large trash bags) to quickly create many shelters.

One structure, two shapes, and endless possibilities.