Most operators who ask about a covered padel court are trying to solve a specific problem. The season is too short because of rain. The summer heat makes midday play impossible. The club wants to offer year-round play without a full construction project. Orion XSport has built padel courts for 30 years, factory-direct, at professional competition quality. The Shelter is the factory answer to that problem.
Six-meter columns. PVC roof included in the kit. The longest grass warranty in the Orion catalog — six years, because the roof earns it. The middle path between a fully outdoor court and the commitment of a full sports hall. $22,000 EXW — court and roof combined, inseparable.
What the PVC roof actually does — and what it doesn't
Before specifying the Shelter, one distinction matters.
The PVC roof protects from what falls vertically: direct sun and overhead rain. Standing under the Shelter in a downpour, you stay dry. Standing under the Shelter on a 42-degree afternoon, you play in shade. That is the product.
What the roof does not do: stop lateral rain. Wind drives rain horizontally. A padel court is open on all sides — the glass panels and mesh stop a ball, not a horizontal gust carrying water. When rain comes in sideways, some of it enters the court. The Shelter does not change that.
This is not a disclaimer that undermines the product. It is the reason the Shelter exists as a category. The gap it fills is real: operators who want overhead weather protection without building an enclosed facility. For that gap, the Shelter delivers completely.
For a fully enclosed solution — sealed walls, climate control, the works — that is a custom building project, not a catalog product.
Shelter specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Playing surface dimensions | 20 m × 10 m (FIP regulation) |
| Column height | 6 m — tallest in the Orion catalog (standard is 4 m) |
| Roof apex height | 8.5 m (central dome) |
| Roof material | PVC 0.75mm · Factory-integrated kit |
| Roof weight | 2.500 kg |
| Glass type | 12mm tempered · 18 panels + 2 gable pieces |
| Structure type | Panoramic with round corner columns |
| Certification | CE marking · Glass EN 12150 · Structure EN 1090 |
| Structure finish | Zinc + powder coating standard |
| Lighting | 8 × 240W LED · 500–600 lux |
| Grass | Curly turf · Dtex 13.500 · PU backing · 6-year warranty |
| Structure weight | 2.200 kg + 2.500 kg roof |
| Structure warranty | 3 years |
| Grass warranty | 6 years (vs 5-year standard across catalog) |
| LED warranty | 3 years |
| Production | 25–30 days (EXW — freight to destination not included) |
| EXW price | $22,000 (court + roof combined) |
Why the grass warranty is 6 years
The standard Orion catalog warranty on artificial grass is five years. The Shelter carries six.
The reason is mechanical. Artificial grass fiber degrades primarily from UV radiation — direct sunlight breaks down the polymer structure of the fibers over time. In a standard outdoor court, the grass receives full UV exposure across the entire surface every day.
The Shelter's PVC roof blocks that overhead UV load. The grass still receives light, but not the direct radiation that accelerates fiber degradation. The performance characteristics of the turf hold longer. Orion extends the warranty to six years on the Shelter because the physics justify it.
For operators calculating the long-term economics of a court installation, a six-year warranty vs five years on a Dtex 13.500 surface — the same premium fiber used in the Anti Hurricane and Crest Panoramic — is a concrete, verifiable benefit.
Who is the Shelter for
Clubs in variable-climate markets. Markets where the padel season is constrained by rain and temperature. An operator who can extend playable hours from eight months to twelve with a single product decision will see the ROI quickly. The Shelter is that product — it provides weather protection on a factory product timeline, maintaining outdoor footprint with year-round playability without the capital commitment of a full sports hall.
Operators in extreme-heat markets. Summer temperatures above 40°C make midday outdoor play impractical regardless of the surface quality. The Shelter's roof reduces surface temperature and eliminates direct sun exposure. For clubs in those markets, a roof is not a luxury — it is a practical operating requirement.
Tropical-climate operators. Tropical rain is intense, frequent, and unpredictable. Clubs that want to keep courts in play through rain season without fully closing the facility need overhead protection. The Shelter's partial weather shielding extends operational hours substantially.
Operators who want a covered solution without a construction timeline. A full indoor sports hall requires an architect, planning permission, foundation engineering, building time — typically months to years. The Shelter is a factory product. It arrives in a container, it assembles to a defined specification, and it is operational. The tradeoff versus a full hall is openness on the sides. For many operators, that tradeoff is acceptable.
Shelter vs the alternatives
| Shelter | Standard outdoor court | Full sports hall | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overhead rain protection | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Lateral rain protection | ⚠️ Partial (open sides) | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Sun/UV protection | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Delivery format | Factory kit — container | Factory kit — container | Custom construction project |
| Production timeline | 25–30 days + freight (route-dependent) | ~7–10 days + freight (route-dependent) | Months to years |
| Building permit likely required | In many jurisdictions — check locally | Generally no | Yes — full building permit |
| Grass warranty | 6 years | 5 years | Varies |
| Pricing | EXW $22,000 | EXW — via configurator | N/A — project-specific |
The key distinction: the Shelter is a catalog product. It has a defined specification, a confirmed price, and a shipping timeline. A full sports hall is a construction project — it has an estimate, a permit process, a contractor, and a timeline that stretches. For operators who want covered play and want it on a product timeline rather than a construction timeline, the Shelter is the only factory answer in the Orion catalog.
Use case: a club extending its season
A padel club in a northern-climate market. Four outdoor courts, fully operational from April to October. The shoulder months — March, November — are playable but unpredictable. Full closure is two months or more.
The operator evaluates options: build a full indoor facility (time, permits, capital), add a tensile structure (complex, custom, expensive), or specify the Shelter. Two courts are converted to the Shelter configuration — the two most-used courts in the club, based on booking data.
The result: those two courts operate twelve months a year. Shoulder season revenue covers the investment within eighteen months. The six-year grass warranty means the surface economics hold for the full investment recovery period.
No construction project. No architect engagement. Factory product, container delivery, local assembly by the operator's contractor — supported by a detailed assembly plan and technical assistance from the Orion team.
What does the Shelter cost
The Shelter is priced as a single EXW package — court structure, PVC roof system, grass, hardware, and lighting. The EXW price is $22,000 — court and roof combined, no separate pricing. The total is higher than a standard court because the roof system adds real weight, material, and logistics complexity.
As with all Orion models: factory-direct EXW is well below what comparable semi-covered or custom-canopy solutions cost when engineered from scratch. The Shelter is a manufactured product, not a custom build.
Payment terms apply across all projects: 30% advance at order confirmation, 70% before container loading. Production approximately 25–30 days. Freight to your port depends on destination route and is coordinated at order stage.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Shelter fully waterproof?
No. The PVC roof provides overhead protection — direct rain and UV radiation are blocked. Lateral rain driven by wind enters the court on the open sides. The Shelter is designed for partial weather protection and shade, not for fully enclosed play. For a fully covered indoor padel solution, a custom-engineered enclosed structure is the correct answer.
Why does the grass have a 6-year warranty when standard Orion warranty is 5 years?
Because the PVC roof blocks direct UV radiation — the primary cause of artificial grass fiber degradation. The conditions under the Shelter extend the useful life of the turf. Orion warrants it for six years because the physics justify it, not as a marketing claim.
Does a 6-meter structure require building permits?
In many jurisdictions, yes. A permanent structure at 6 meters height will trigger planning or building permit requirements in most countries. Orion recommends verifying local regulations before placing an order. What varies is the permit process, not the product — the Shelter ships to specification regardless.
Is installation managed by Orion?
Installation is carried out by the contractor of your choice. Orion delivers the complete Shelter package to your destination port — structure, roof system, glass, grass, hardware, lighting — with a detailed assembly plan and technical support throughout. On-site assembly and foundation work are managed by the operator's local team or contractor.
Which market is the Shelter best suited for?
The Shelter was built for two types of markets: high-rainfall climates where the playing season is weather-limited, and extreme-heat climates where midday UV and temperature make shade a practical necessity. It also performs well in tropical climates where frequent but short intense rainfall is the pattern.
Configure your Shelter project at orionxsport.com.
→ Arc Panoramic Padel Court — standard outdoor panoramic court → Crest Panoramic Padel Court — outdoor competition with published wind certification