Written by Christopher on December 21, 2015

Three Ideas for Covering External Community Areas

Home Improvement

Public external spaces, such as those outside schools, retail parks and offices, are ideal areas for people to meet and work. However, they are not always practical in inclement weather or on particularly hot and sunny days. However, there’s a number of ways that external spaces can be covered to enhance their use.

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Fabric Structures

Tensile fabric structures create an impressive feature on any outside area and can easily transform a space. The flexibility of the fabric makes it possible to create a wide range of structures, which enable your space to stand out. Fabric structures are extremely durable, allowing them to withstand external elements, but at the same time they are incredibly lightweight. They have a long lifespan and require very little maintenance, reducing the time and cost of upkeep. This can be a possible cost-efficient, yet effective, way of covering an external space, keeping people dry in bad weather and sheltered from the sun in the summer.

Canopies

Canopies can be manufactured from a number of different materials, including glass, steel, wood and fabric. This means that they can be designed and manufactured to suit the specific requirements of the space, such as the dimensions or the existing design style. They can either be a free standing structure, which is ideal if the covered area is away from the main building, or they can be fitted to the walls of the property to reduce the number of supporting structures that are necessary.

Retractable Roofs

There are instances when you don’t need a space to be covered all the time, but you would still like the option to be there when necessary. In these circumstances, a form of fabric architecture like a retractable roof system would be beneficial. This would allow you to easily cover an external area if you wanted to use it in bad weather, but it could also be open at other times. They can be used in small spaces or grander surroundings and are highly responsive, so the user has full control over how and when the roof is operated. This provides flexibility on how the space is used, creating both an open or covered area.

With a covered external area, either on a permanent or occasional basis, the space can be used throughout the year. This will make it more practical and enhance the overall property.