Styles for Canopy Facades

Cone and Dome Canopies

• Cones and domes are popular forms for canopy facades. These shapes are round and sit at the top of the outside of a window; domed canopies curve at the top, while cones come to a point. Quarter-sphere domes often appear over small entryways and archways in commercial architecture. Dome canopies can also be elongated, looking more like quarter ellipsis than quarter sphere. Elongated domes are seen on long windows or wide entryways. Domes and cones are sometimes seen indoors as decorative attention-getters.

Flat and Square Canopies

• Flat canopies made of metal are popular in municipal architecture. You can find them on many schools, churches, community centers and outdoor malls. They are simple in design and provide shade and protection from rain. Square canopies are made with two side panels and one front panel slanting down. This style is very popular in both residential and commercial architecture. The same slant-down style is found covering outdoor spaces like patios or entrances.

Venetian Canopies and Retractable Awnings

• Venetian canopies jut out from a facade. They are adjustable to the angle of the sun to control shade, but do not have sides, so their effectiveness beyond decoration depends on sun exposure. Large, retractable awnings often appear extended from the fronts of restaurants with outdoor patios or home patios. Unlike simple canopies, they are controllable to allow as much or as little sun as desired on a space or a building facade. Some come with sun, wind and rain sensors that retract or expand the awning in response to the weather.

Entrance Canopies

• Canopies are frequently used in architecture in many ways, from decoration to protection. Envision a big-city apartment building with a doorman standing under a long, cloth-covered canopy leading from the doorway of the building to the street. Some styles used in residential architecture are marquee, a square vaulted shape, or baby carriage canopy, a long canopy with fabric that may flap down on the sides. Buildings like hospitals, office suites and museums sometimes have large glass-and-steel canopies at their entrances to help protect people from the elements as they enter the building.