Commercial Fabric Awnings
Retractable awnings for commercial premises
Made to measure fabric awnings that cover a wide frontage for a fraction of a built structure, carry your branding on the valance, and roll away into a cassette when the site shuts.
Designed & installed nationwide • 10-year warranty • Full Design & Build Service
Retractable shade and shelter
Shade that rolls away when you do not need it
An awning is the cheapest way to cover a lot of frontage, and the only cover that disappears completely. That combination is why they still dominate shopfronts, pavement seating and terraces where a permanent structure would be refused or would block a first floor window. As a Weinor approved partner we specify the cassette type first, because that decides how long the fabric lasts: a full cassette shuts the fabric away from rain, dirt and UV when closed, and on a coastal or roadside site that is the difference between five years and fifteen. Projection, span and fixing follow from the survey. Wide runs are covered by coupling units so there is no post landing in the middle of the seating. Fabrics are solution-dyed acrylic in a large colour range, printable with a name or logo, and matched to brand colours where you need it.
Why a retractable awning
Why businesses fit a commercial awning
Awnings win on cost per square metre of cover and on planning, because nothing permanent is being added to the building. They are the fastest route from decision to usable outdoor space, and the easiest to reverse if the site changes.
Covers wide frontage
Single units span a long shopfront, and multiple units couple together for a run without a post landing in the seating.
Branding on the fabric
Printed valances and brand colour matched fabric turn the awning into signage that works from down the street.
Full retraction
Closed, the building looks as it did before. Useful where a landlord, planners or a conservation officer will not accept a permanent structure.
Cassette protection
A full cassette seals the fabric away from rain, grit and sunlight when shut, which is most of what determines how long it lasts.
Automatic operation
Motorised with remote or WiFi control, and sun, rain and wind sensors that extend or retract it without staff thinking about it.
Quick to install
No groundworks and no build programme. Most commercial installations are done inside a day with minimal disruption to trade.
Specification
How a commercial awning is specified
Cassette type, fabric and fixing are chosen around the frontage, the exposure and how often the awning will actually be run out.
- Open, semi-cassette and full cassette
- Printed valance and logo
- Motorised with remote and WiFi
- Sun, wind and rain sensors
- Solution-dyed acrylic fabric range
- Integrated LED lighting
- Brand colour matched fabric
- Drop-down front valance for low sun
- Infrared heating on the arms
- Coupled units for wide runs
Full cassette awnings
The specification we recommend for anything exposed. When the awning retracts, the fabric and arms seal inside an aluminium housing, out of the rain and away from road grime, salt air and UV. That is almost entirely what determines fabric life on a busy frontage. Full cassettes also look tidy closed, which matters when the shopfront is what customers see for eighteen hours a day. Slightly deeper housing than a semi-cassette, so we check the reveal and any first floor detail at survey.
Open and semi-cassette
Open frame awnings give the widest projections for the money and suit covered areas, deep reveals and anywhere the fabric is sheltered when closed. Semi-cassette sits between the two: a hood protects the roller and the top of the fabric while the arms stay exposed, which is enough on a sheltered courtyard or a north-facing frontage. Both are worth considering where budget is tight and the awning is out most of the trading day anyway, so the fabric spends little time stored.
Branding and fabric
The valance is prime advertising space and most businesses underuse it. Names, logos and phone numbers print directly onto the fabric, and body colours can be matched to a brand palette rather than picked off a standard chart. Solution-dyed acrylic holds colour through years of direct sun, which matters if your brand green is going to fade to grey within two summers. Decide branding before the fabric is ordered, because reprinting means a new fabric rather than an amendment.
FAQ
faq h2
A few of the things business owners ask us most often. Anything else, just ask.
Do we need a licence to overhang the pavement?
Usually yes. Anything projecting over the public highway generally needs consent from the local highway authority, and pavement seating needs a separate pavement licence. Minimum clearance heights apply. We flag what is needed at survey, though the licence itself is applied for by the business.
What happens in high wind?
Awnings are rated to a wind class, and beyond it they must be retracted. Wind sensors do this automatically, which is what stops an unattended awning being destroyed overnight. On exposed frontages we specify a higher class and heavier fixings rather than relying on the sensor alone.
Can we print our name on it?
Yes, on the valance and on the main fabric. Brand colour matching is possible on most fabric ranges. Do check whether printed signage on a shopfront needs advertising consent in your area, particularly in a conservation area, before ordering.
How long does the fabric last?
Solution-dyed acrylic on a full cassette, retracted when not in use, typically lasts well over a decade. An open frame awning left out permanently on a roadside will not. Fabric life is mostly a function of cassette type and how often it gets stored, not the fabric price.
Can we fit one on a listed or conservation area shopfront?
Often yes, and an awning is frequently the easiest cover to get approved because it is reversible and hidden when closed. Traditional shopfronts may require a specific style, colour or valance detail. Listed building consent is a separate application from planning, and we will tell you if we think it is needed.
BEGIN Your project
contact h2
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