A Piece of the Puzzle: Incorporating Retractable Awnings Into Historical Renovations

Downtown areas, tree-lined neighborhoods, old main streets – every city and town is defined by the buildings in it. Older buildings, whether it’s a turn of the century storefront or a post-war home, has a distinctive design. When buildings are refurbished, the intent is to preserve those distinctive attributes, to preserve the character and scope of the original style.

Retractable awnings have an important role in renovating historical buildings for two reasons:

· A variety of old architectural styles, such as Spanish Revival, Colonial, and Craftsman, incorporated awnings as part of the exterior design, so the awnings themselves are functional and aesthetic extensions of the building.

· Old buildings depended on passive ways of controlling heat, especially through shade elements such as retractable awnings and trees.

Replacing awnings on older buildings, even integrating retractable awnings where there were previously none, is a simple, relatively inexpensive, yet highly visible way to begin renewing the appearance of a building. Retractable awnings are especially beneficial because of easy use and care, combined with highly-durable construction and the ability to provide sun, glare, UV, and heat protection in the spring and summer months and allow solar gain in the winter and fall.

What Matters in a Renovation

Streets and neighborhoods are taken together as a collective influence. That means that one of the most important aspects for preserving historical integrity is properly preserving the exterior appearance of a building. According to the Department of the Interior (which, through the National Park Services, encourages historical preservation), the exterior areas in an old building (commercial and residential) have the greatest affect on preserving the historic flavor of the building. There are a number of areas that reflect the intrinsic style of the architectural period:

· Existing architectural details, such as ornate trim

· Entryways

· Porches and patios

· Landscaping

· Drives and parking areas

· Windows

· Natural passive heat control (retractable awnings and other shade elements)

Assess where awnings were previously installed or where retractable awnings can be seamlessly incorporated. For example, old wood arbors around a Spanish-style home may have rotted away; a retractable awning, covering the same area, is much easier and less expensive to install while still harmonizing with the original design and appearance of the home. Additionally, many homes of all varieties used natural shade elements to control light and heat. Replacing awnings with retractable awnings can help cool the interior without having to immediately install air conditioning or fans or used to replace the shade from trees which have been removed.

Where controlling light or heating is an issue in historic buildings, retractable awnings are especially beneficial since they can be motorized, automatically respond to the sun by using sensors, and change their pitch. Being able to adjust the awning improves both heating and cooling efficiency. Other sensors (wind, motion, and rain) can also be used to protect the awning.

Methods for Integrating Awnings with Your Structure

Retractable awnings are an important facet in an historical facade. The determining factor when selecting retractable awnings is to be true to the style. Old photographs and nearby buildings can give hints on what kind of retractable awning to look for. Retractable awning style, size, color, and location impact the overall appearance. In addition, retractable awnings offer energy efficiency and are both simple and efficient to use.

Style

The most common historic awning style is the most popular even today: a simple stretch of fabric, extended over two or more arms, with a valance hanging in the front. This style is called lateral arm. Lateral arm retractable awnings are a popular style for both budget and high-end retractable awning lines, giving a broad range of options.

Another important style feature of a lateral arm awning is the valance, a strip of fabric which hangs from the front end of a lateral arm, elongated or dome retractable awning. For almost any time period, scalloped or rounded valances were common.

Some architectural styles use more specialized awnings; for example, Spanish Revival prominently features arched windows and doorways, and awnings for those areas, the awnings were also arched (called dome awnings). Dome and elongated dome retractable awnings are also available for historical restorations and are especially popular for commercial awnings.

Size

The awning should fit within the original outlines of the building area. For example, use multiple small awnings over windows instead of one large awning stretching across an entire wall. Also, the projection of the awning should be properly fitted to the right-of-way or landscaping.

The size and projection of the retractable awning is integral to giving the amount of sun and glare protection needed to prevent damage to furnishings or stock and displays.

Color and pattern

One of the most popular fabrics were wide stripes (commonly called a bistro style), in black and white. Colors tended to be light (such as pastels) because of the gently-colored, diffused sunlight. Yellow was extremely common awning color for stores because it reflects light and UV rays effectively and diminishes the amount of sun damage to furnishings and store wares.

One tip: avoid old-fashioned canvas awnings. Although cotton or canvas awnings are historically accurate, solution-dyed acrylic wears substantially longer and has a brighter, truer color, which is why the Park Service recommends it.

Retractable awnings

With a design similar since its inception in the late 1800s, retractable awnings (even motorized awnings) are not unhistorical. Stylistically, retractable awnings look the same as traditional and historic awnings, with some additional benefits:

· Significantly longer lifetime than fixed awnings since the fabric is not always exposed to the sun

· Better overall energy efficiency than fixed awnings

· Simpler use and maintenance

· High quality materials, in most cases

· Unobstructed views

· No additional construction and a light footprint on the building

Looking at the Larger Picture

Architecture is the character of the community. Spanish Revival in Florida, Cape Cod in New England, and Craftsman-style ranch houses in the Midwest all provide distinct spice for their regions. Preserving that appearance is important to business and retail centers, so many cities offer incentives and special design districts to encourage historically friendly updates to commercial buildings and downtown districts. Awnings are specifically mentioned in revitalization projects across the USA because of the widespread popularity of awnings in nearly every decade and architectural style since the 1800s.

Retractable awnings fit into a larger design picture, making that picture a little more harmonious and timeless with a well-designed, well-constructed, and well-chosen architectural feature.