Commercial Pergolas
Louvred roof pergolas for commercial spaces
Rotating aluminium blades that open to the sun, close against the rain and let the heat out on the days a solid roof would trap it. Terrace cover for pubs, hotels, restaurants and members clubs.
Designed & installed nationwide • 10-year warranty • Full Design & Build Service
Adjustable outdoor cover
Control the light, close out the rain
A pergola is the only outdoor structure that changes through the day. The blades rotate from fully open to fully shut, so the same terrace gives shade at two in the afternoon, ventilation on a still evening and a sealed roof when a shower comes over. That matters commercially because a fixed roof traps heat in July and a fabric canopy has to be wound away in wind. At Glass House Architecture we survey the terrace, work out whether it wants to be freestanding or fixed back to the building, and specify the frame and blade span to suit. Aluminium throughout, powder coated to any RAL, with the drainage run inside the posts so nothing sheds onto the seating below. Glass sides, screens, heating and lighting all bolt into the same frame, so the structure can be enclosed later without starting again.
Why a louvred pergola
Why hospitality sites choose a louvred pergola
Outdoor covers usually force a choice between shade and shelter. A louvred roof gives both from one structure, adjusted in seconds, which is why they suit sites where the weather turns and the terrace still has to trade through it.
Rotating blades
Open for air and light, angled for shade, closed for rain. One structure covers every kind of British afternoon.
Hidden drainage
Rainwater runs through the closed blades into the beam and down inside the posts, so nothing drips onto tables or walkways.
Heat escapes
Unlike a fixed roof, an open louvre vents hot air straight up. The space under it stays usable in a July heatwave.
Enclose it later
Sliding glass sides and zip screens fit the same frame, so a summer terrace becomes a sheltered winter room without a new structure.
Built into the frame
LED lighting and infrared heating mount inside the blades and beams rather than being bolted on afterwards.
Freestanding or fixed
Site it as an island in a courtyard or fix it to the building. Freestanding avoids touching the fabric of a listed frontage.
Specification
What goes into a commercial pergola
Every pergola is sized to the terrace, the exposure and the seating layout, with the frame engineered around the span rather than sold in fixed modules.
- Rotating aluminium louvre blades
- Concealed guttering and downpipes
- Zip screens for wind and privacy
- Freestanding or wall-mounted frames
- LED lighting inside the blades
- Motorised, app and WiFi control
- Infrared heating in the beams
- Sliding glass side panels
- Full RAL colour range on the frame
- Rain, wind and sun sensors
Freestanding pergolas
Four posts, no fixings into the building, which makes them the answer for courtyards, beer gardens and car park terraces where the structure sits away from the frontage. Freestanding also keeps you clear of a listed or rendered wall that nobody wants to drill into. Spans can be coupled to run the length of a garden, and the whole thing can be lifted and resited if the layout changes. Powder coated aluminium throughout, so there is no annual treatment and no rot.
Wall-mounted pergolas
Fixed back to the building on one side, which cuts the post count on the terrace and takes the cover right up to the doors. That matters when staff are carrying plates from an inside kitchen and you want no gap between the threshold and the roof. The wall plate is flashed and sealed into the brickwork or a structural upstand, and the outer posts carry the drainage. Best where the frontage is sound and the terrace is narrow enough that an island structure would eat the space.
Glass sides and screens
The pergola frame is designed to accept sliding glass panels and zip screens from the outset, so an open summer terrace can be closed in for winter trade. Frameless glass sliders stack to one end and disappear in warm weather. Zip screens run in the same channels and add wind protection, privacy from a road, and a printable surface for branding. Fitting them later costs no more than fitting them now, so the decision can wait until you have seen how the space gets used.
FAQ
faq h2
A few of the things business owners ask us most often. Anything else, just ask.
Where does the rainwater go in a downpour?
The blades seal against each other and shed into an integrated gutter in the perimeter beam, which drains down inside the posts. Nothing runs off the edge onto customers or walkways.
How much wind can it take with the roof open?
Considerably more than a fabric canopy, because the blades sit in a rigid aluminium frame rather than a tensioned sheet. Wind sensors can close the roof automatically at a set speed. Exposed coastal and rooftop sites get an engineered fixing spec rather than a standard one.
Does a freestanding pergola need foundations?
It needs a suitable base. On an existing concrete or paved terrace we usually fix into the slab; on soft ground or a gravelled beer garden we form pads. We check this at survey, because getting it wrong is what causes movement on wide spans.
Can we trade under it in winter?
Yes, with the roof closed, glass sides or screens fitted and infrared heaters in the beams. Sites that add all three typically get useful trade through the colder months rather than shutting the terrace down in October.
What is the difference between a pergola and a veranda?
A veranda has a fixed glass roof, so it is permanently weathertight and permanently shaded by whatever glass spec you choose. A pergola has a roof you adjust: open for air and light, closed for rain. If the terrace overheats under glass, or you want the sky on a summer evening, the pergola is the better structure. If you want a room, the veranda is.
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