Tasked with developing an overall environmental strategy for the square, JCDA with its partners developed the retractable canopy concept that defines the experience and comfort of the region’s largest covered public square - Barahat Square. The artful nature of the two canopies working in concert was explored with a unique and complex use of fabric, its texture and light patterns. The layered fabric creates “field patterns” against the sky while the canopies automatically adjust throughout the day in response to the shifting solar angles. The analysis of the various alternatives from both a performance and aesthetic perspective led to a cable supported fabric roof easily deployed on a daily basis to provide shade and then opened to allow for a thermal flushing of the square at night.