Why were awnings invented

Early History Installing awnings on your building can offer energy savings, style, and historic appeal. American History In time, these shades gained ornamental value. Current Day Today, awnings are enjoying renewed popularity as home and business owners look for ways to reduce their environmental impact and spend less money on cooling costs.

Previous Post. Next Post. The arms were lowered to project the awning or raised to retract the awning using simple rope and pulley arrangements. Because the canvas remained attached to the framework, retractable awnings allowed a more flexible approach to shading.

Now shopkeepers and owners could incrementally adjust the amount of awning coverage depending upon the weather conditions. When the sun came out from behind clouds, the awning could be deployed with ease. In case of sudden storms, owners could quickly retract the awning against the building wall where it was protected from wind gusts. Despite their advantages, early operable awnings had drawbacks; when retracted, their cloth coverings often bunched up against the building facade.

This left part of the fabric exposed to inclement weather, and deterioration was often accelerated by moisture pooling in the folds of fabric. If poorly designed or badly placed, the retracted fabric could obscure part of the window or door opening. Even if it was out of the way, an imperfectly folded awning presented an unkempt appearance.

Modern materials and designs have eliminated all of these issues. They were used in many storefronts to attract customers as they would provide protection against heat or rain during shopping. In the early days 18th and 19th centuries , awnings were generally made from canvas duck fabric or sail cloth, which was widely available and cheap.

These awnings were typically simple utilitarian shading devices. They consisted of cast iron or timber posts set along the sidewalk, verandah, or patio edge and linked by a front cross bar. The canvas fabric would be connected to the facade using nails, or grommets and hooks, or by lacing it to a head rod bolted to the facade.

But as time passed and technology advanced during the mid-century industrialization, simple canvas awnings were replaced by sturdy, long lasting and easy-to-maintain awnings featuring an array of frame and fabric options.

Specialized awning hardware was also developed, permitting a better fit and look and making it easy to take down the awning covers in the winter and reinstalling them when spring arrived. As the same time there were major advances in painting of the traditional canvas duck fabric, which spurred the aesthetic use of canvas awnings for homes and businesses. In addition to providing protection from inclement weather and adding curb appeal to your property, they are also known to be very effective at reducing cooling costs.

There are many known benefits but where did this shade-eliminating device originate? Keep reading to learn about the history of the awning. Awnings date back to Egypt and Syria. Woven mats shaded market stalls and homes. The Roman Empire even had a very early form of a retractable awning at the Colosseum called a velarium. Awnings were visible on American, storefront businesses.

Cotton duck was the predominant awning fabric used during the s.