Awnings

Creating additional free spaces

For many centuries people have extended their houses with textile constructions. Whether called baldachin, solar leech or awning − these fabrics provided an adequate solar protection when required. The shadow donators which were stationary in the beginning were improved later by movable racks and could come as folding awnings adaptable to the needs of their owners and finally the rolling awning managed to grab their place in the sun. The varied pattern choice and technological treatment of awning materials limits the application of awnings today not only to the solar protection, but also offers protection from rain, wind, to undesirable looks and as an embellishment of facades. Thus the awning has become, in the meantime, an important construction element in the architecture of many buildings by which additional rooms can be created outside.

One can distinguish awnings according to different criteria. Referring to design, function and use one may find:

• stationary awnings
• rolling awnings
• folding awnings
• open awnings
• shell awnings
• cassette awnings
• articulated arm awnings
• drop arm awnings
• vertical awnings
• basket awnings
• detached awnings
• conservatory awnings
• Gastro awnings
• side wall awnings
• rope chip awnings
• clamp awnings

Façade design

Especially in catering and in trade business the inviting optics of the colorful awnings which draws the attention of the customer to the business already from far away is appreciated. Though they should serve primarily as an enlargement of the store or guest room outside and provide a pleasant and restful stay for the customers in it, however, they also have an important function as an advertising medium. Like a big signboard, the character of a business can be shown only with the forms and colours of the awnings and attract guests by graphics and stroke. With it can be deflected from a rather unattractive facade of a building and still draw the interest of the clientele on the business.

However, also in the living area an awning is always an enrichment of the architecture. Nice awning materials as a solar protection in front of the windows or as balcony borders, view protection walls or terrace roofing give a friendlier face to every building.

Articulated arm awnings

The articulated arm awning is the most often used awning kind in the private and commercial area. It is fastened directly on the house wall and can -as a solar protection or active protection- protect the place below it for different purposes. The material wound around a role is pulled outwardly by two lateral articulated arms while extension and, besides, is always held under tension by a spring system. The inclination corner of the awning can be different doing so, however, it should always be big enough to allow running off the rainwater. The big advantage of articulated arm awnings is in their variable usability and their wide shadowing. Since no additional supporting constructions limit the place below it, they can be used everywhere. The small disadvantage consists in the fact that articulated arm awnings are fixed only on one side and float freely above the place. Therefore, they must be run with strong winds to avoid damages in construction and material.

Conservatory awnings

For the shadowing of big glass surfaces, as one may find them, e.g. with conservatories, the special awning constructions which can adapt themselves to the existing glass construction are required. Mostly, several awnings that can shade the different glass surfaces individually are required for the conservatory shadowing. For an optimum shadowing the suitable awning construction is mounted on the glass construction, so that it runs the awning in parallel with the glass surface. Whether being of horizontal, sloping or vertical angles of reflection does not matter in this case, because the awning is transported in lateral guide rails. The control and service of a conservatory awning occurs electrically in the ideal case via heat sensors or light sensors. With this, the hot sunbeams can be intercepted already outside and may not heat up the windowpanes at all. The awning material does not need to be watertight for a conservatory awning, but should provide a good light-permeability and aerial-permeability to prevent a heat accumulation and humidity accumulation between awning and windowpane.

Drop arm awnings

For an elegant and up-to-date exterior shadowing of windows drop arm awnings are suitable especially well. In this case, the material rolled up on the role is pulled down by lateral arms and can therefore counteract against the sunbeams depending on the position of the sun. The view down remains free and so does the contact with the outside world. A special form of the drop arm awning is the markisolette with which the awning cloth is first led vertically down (like a roller blind) and below it goes on at an angle by the drop arms. Thus an even better view protection and solar protection can be achieved with a low standing sun. This kind of awning is found rather often in very high buildings.

Basket awnings

The elegant and decorative wicker awnings belong to the folding awnings where the awning material is stretched curve-shaped or basket-shaped over the single awning bearers. They are available in stationary and movable form. Since they only consist of a small span, they mostly serve as a small preroof above entrances or windows and the vertical part of the awning is often used as an advertising media. Their crooked, often also angular form provides them with a high stability, so that they are also applicable with rain and wind.

Side protection walls

The awning materials resistant to weather offer of course not only protection from the sun and rain, but can also protect your clearances against wind and undesirable looks. As lateral covering of terraces and balconies or balcony borders they offer additional private sphere. This kind of construction can occur quite differently depending on the architecture, as firm covering in balcony railings, as a movable rolling awning to the covers or wall assembly or detached wall to be fixed on the lawn or terrace ground.

Impress