Commercial AWNINGS
Commercial awnings, made to measure.
Turn an outdoor area into space you can use all year. Retractable awnings for hotels, pubs, restaurants, cafés and shopfronts, specified to the building in open, semi-cassette and full-cassette designs.
Designed & installed nationwide • 10-year warranty • Weinor approved partner
COMMERCIAL SUN PROTECTION
More than simple shade.
A commercial awning has to earn its keep. It needs to open more covers, hold trade through a shower, look right above a frontage customers judge in three seconds, and keep doing it through several seasons of daily use. That means a made-to-measure system rather than a size off a chart: open, semi-cassette or full-cassette, wind-rated, and specified to the building it fixes to.
At Glass House Architecture we survey the site, work out what the structure will take, and install the system that suits it. Shade, shelter, privacy, hard-wearing fabrics, integrated lighting and heating, and a finish specified to the property. We work with the manufacturers whose systems hold up to commercial use, so the recommendation follows the site rather than a single supplier.
Shade when you want it, and the sunlight back when you don't.
WHY BUILD A COMMERCIAL AWNING
Why businesses choose a retractable awning
The right answer when you want covered trade without the cost, planning and permanence of a built structure.
Retractable shade
Shade when you want it, and the light back when you don't. Open for the lunch rush, closed by the time the site shuts.
Electric operation
Motorised as standard, so staff open and close it in seconds rather than winding it out by hand a dozen times a day.
Tidy when closed
Full-cassette designs retract the fabric and arms into an enclosed housing, keeping the frontage clean and the fabric protected out of season.
Comfort upgrades
Integrated LED lighting, heating and side screens to keep an outdoor area trading into the evening and through the shoulder months.
Weather automation
Optional sensors extend or retract with the sun, rain or wind, so the awning looks after itself when nobody is watching it.
Made to measure
Manufactured to the millimetre and specified to the frontage, with wide spans available and multiple units coupled where a run needs more cover.
Specification
Your businesses' commercial awning
Every awning is planned around the frontage, the exposure and the way the space gets used, rather than offered in one standard size.
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Varying design options
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Integrated LED lighting
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Made to measure
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Infrared heating for cooler evenings
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Choice of projection to suit the patio
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Side screens for wind and privacy
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Wide range of awning fabrics
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Electric and manual operation
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Wide RAL colour range for frames
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Sun, rain and wind sensors
Retractable Awnings
Folding-arm awnings are the workhorse of a commercial frontage: wide spans of shade with nothing standing on the ground, so tables, walkways and access stay clear. Every unit is made to measure, with cassette housings that shut the fabric away when the site closes and a fabric range built to hold colour through years of direct sun. Sun, wind and rain sensors extend or retract automatically, which matters most on the days nobody remembers to do it manually.
Vertical Awnings
Vertical screens drop a taut textile across windows, glazed gables and the open sides of a patio roof, cutting glare and low afternoon sun without closing off the view or the space. The cassette stays discreet across wide openings, in round or square profiles to suit the building. For side-on privacy and wind protection at seating height, pull-out side screens close off the ends of a run and make an exposed terrace usable in a breeze.
Conservatory Awnings
Two ways to shade a glazed roof, whether that is a restaurant glass room, an atrium or a covered dining area. Under-glass systems mount beneath the glazing, sheltered from the weather, with taut fabric and optional integrated LED lighting. Over-glass systems sit above it, intercepting the sun before it ever heats the glass. Both keep a glazed space comfortable through summer while letting soft, glare-free light through, with weather sensing handling the adjustment.
AWNINGS GALLERY
A look at our awning installations
AUTOMATIC WEATHER CONTROL
An awning that watches the sky for you.
South and west-facing frontages heat up fast, and nobody on shift has time to keep an eye on the sky. Weather sensors handle it. A sun sensor extends the awning when light reaches a set intensity, wind and rain sensors retract it the moment conditions turn, and a product protection sensor pulls it in when it detects vibration from gusts. Depending on the system, sensors run from a power connection, battery or solar cell.
At Glass House Architecture we specify weather sensors as part of the awning design rather than an afterthought, matched to the aspect and exposure of the site. The result is shade that appears when the sun demands it and an awning that protects itself in rough weather, without depending on a member of staff remembering. It is also the detail that keeps a commercial awning out of the repair schedule, because most fabric and arm damage comes from an awning left out in wind.
The shade arrives before your customers think to ask for it.
In their words
Trusted on the homes that matter most
At Glass House Architecture we design and build high-end glass extensions, hardwood orangeries and luxury conservatories. Every structure is made to order, engineered for your property and finished to an exacting standard using premium materials.
From a winter garden on a contemporary home to a traditional orangery on a listed building, each project is managed from first sketch to final detail by people who understand design and structure in equal measure.
1946
EXPERTS IN DESIGN since
★★★★★
RATED FIVE STARS
100%
SATisfaction guarantee
We experienced a first class service from Glass House Architecture, who have designed, developed and installed a beautiful crittall style glass link, from our main house to a converted outbuilding.
Clive Wain
The customer service, expertise, and quality of product are all incredible. I couldn’t recommend Glasshouse Architecture more highly, a genuine credit to their industry.
Ben Milhench
We had a significant protect designed, completed superbly, on time and on budget by Mark and his team. The team were clean tidy and cooperative at all times.
John Holland
From the initial enquiry through to ordering, the service was professional and straightforward. Mark was particularly helpful throughout, always courteous, open, honest and friendly, and easy to deal with.
Mark Smith
We’re absolutely delighted with our new pergola, it has completely transformed our garden. It's sleek and modern, and the glass panels make the space feel open and bright while still providing excellent shelter from wind and rain.
Gregory Stackhouse
Glasshouse Architectures supplied me with an excellent garden extension on my semi detached house and made an amazing conservatory and outdoor space for me! Honestly so happy with the service they provided.
Tracey Reed
Great company I found when using them. They made a new conservatory for me as well as other features for my house and I am pleased with the works completed. Staff was lovely too.
Frances Cunningham
I have just come back to this company for the 5th project. I have to say their experience, guidance and incredible alignment I find each and every time we work together is so consistent. Thank you again guys for a wonderfully curated final result.
Nicky Emlick
THE WEINOR COLLECTION
Need something more structural?
An awning is the right call when you want shade and comfort. If you need a fixed roof or a more enclosed space, the rest of the Weinor range goes further. See the full range on our Weinor page.
Glass Rooms
A bright, elegant outdoor room. Fully customisable, designed and built to suit.
FAQ
Commercial awning questions, answered
A few of the things business owners ask us most often. Anything else, just ask.
Can we have branding on the awning?
Yes. Valance printing and fabric colour matching are both possible, so the awning can carry a name or logo and sit within existing brand colours. Worth deciding before the fabric is ordered.
Do I need planning permission for a commercial awning?
In most cases a retractable awning is treated differently to a permanent structure, but it depends on the building and the location. Listed buildings, conservation areas and anything projecting over a public footpath usually need consent, and a pavement licence may be required separately. We flag this at survey stage before anything is ordered.
Are commercial awnings made to measure?
Yes. Each awning is planned around the frontage and the way the space is used, with exact width and projection choices rather than one standard size. Where a run is wider than a single unit, multiple awnings can be coupled to cover it.
Can you use a commercial awning in the rain?
Retractable awnings are primarily sun protection. The advice is to retract them in rain, then reopen afterwards so any damp fabric can dry. Weather sensors can retract the awning automatically in rain or wind, which is worth having on a site where nobody is watching it.
What's the difference between open, semi and full-cassette awnings?
The main difference is how enclosed and protected the awning is when retracted. A full-cassette design fully encloses the fabric and arms for the neatest, most protected finish.
BEGIN Your project
Start planning your commercial awning
Tell us a little about your business and we will be in touch to arrange your design consultation, at the showroom or at your property.
Prefer to talk?
Call us on 0113 518 3766
or email us at info@glasshousearchitecture.co.uk