From a design standpoint, awnings offer two types of appeal. Business owners want awning design that enables them to enhance visibility and branding. Developers and architects appreciate awning design options that get their creative juices flowing and enable them to show off their professional talents.
Fabric and metal are very different aesthetically and offer different structural advantages and disadvantages for awning design. What works best depends on the type of business and building, location and the awning’s primary purpose. What appeals most depends on personal (or corporate) preference.
Fabric and metal have some design attributes in common.
Both can be constructed as attached overhangs or as free-standing structures. Deeper attached awnings can also have legs added along the outside edge to provide sturdier support. Placed over windows, either material can significantly reduce energy bills as well as the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays.
Both take well to illumination for visibility after dark, something that’s essential to keep any awning design working 24/7. But how you use lighting with each material and different style awnings can be very different. Fabric can also be illuminated for special visual effects, such as backlighting text or projecting softly colored lights on the underside of a tension membrane.
Appealing fabric traits for awning design.
Fabric needs a skeleton to provide shape and support. Framing is usually made of aluminum but can be painted steel, wrought iron or even wood in the case of a pergola with fabric roof.
Awning design using fabric offers virtually unlimited creative options:
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Shape, size, dimensionality, including 3D objects.
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Precise color matching that beautifully reinforces branding.
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Graphic and images down to the most intricate details, delivered through digital printing.
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Physical design details such as a scalloped valance or retractability.
In general, fabric may need replacing before a metal awning, however the cost will be considerably less than a new awning because framing remains in place. Engineering innovations have created fabrics for awning design that are amazingly versatile and come with longer warranties, thanks to greatly-improved durability and appearance-retention characteristics.
Metal awning design has its own appeal.
Metal is stronger and more durable than fabric. It cannot tear, stretch, fade, etc., and aluminum doesn’t rust either. Mapes awnings are made of heavy-duty aluminum that is just one-third the weight of steel offering same strength. That makes it an ideal material for very large wall-mounted awning design.
You can achieve an entirely different appearance with metal awnings. Mapes awnings can be mounted flush with the façade, with a flat surface or one that’s curved or arched for greater dimension. They can look very “industrial” and substantial but also be surprisingly colorful and graceful, making metal a valuable alternative for certain purposes or desired looks.
However, metal awnings perform best for signage and weather protection, because they aren’t suitable for complex promotional detail. Using louvers instead of solid decking filters sunlight, providing visually interesting shadow play on the side of the building or ground as the sun changes position throughout the day.
Do the building codes that affect your building require or preclude certain materials? They will certainly address size and may set parameters on colors, text or other aspects of awning design. Knowing these details in advance will point you in the right creative direction for your awning design, and help you select the right materials.
Ultimately you have lots of choices, whether you’re leaning toward fabric or metal and whether you need to attract interest from potential customers, impart information or provide protection. An awning expert can help you sort through the alternatives and identify solutions to turn your creative design into an appealing and functional work of art.
