October 2011 Newsletter

Cool Down the Summer with Vintage Fall Style

Parklets: Enjoying the outside in the urban jungle

When you're planning a project for yourself or your clients, the big thing is to understand how people move.

Cities are looking at the issue of movement in a whole new way. According to the city of San Francisco, over 25% of the land area in their city is dedicated to streets and rights of way. That's amazing.

For a long time, these streets and easements have been, at best, utilitarian. People stand and wait or sit on functional benches and wait.

New York – a city with a long history of innovating public spaces – took a whole new look at these rights of way and they came up with pocket parks or parklets. Instead of greenspaces, they're reshaping hardscapes and putting in bright colors, conversational seating and tables, and art to make these public spaces a little more inviting. Art-loving cities like San Francisco and Vancouver have already adopted this idea for their own public spaces.

Even commercial properties like restaurants and office buildings can start looking at their hardspaces with new eyes. The whimsical ambition is to look at the urban landscape as a real, living environment. Look at how people are using the space and how you want them to use it. Are you creating an inviting environment where people want to be?

Of course, there is a retractable awnings spin to this story! Part of the challenge of urban design is how difficult it is to provide natural climate control. There are no trees to provide cooling shade and a sense of order and protection. Depending on your space, there are urban-friendly options with different retractable shade systems:

Traditional retractable awnings For small or large areas, traditional is the way to go – simple to install, a bright pop of color for energy, and instant protection from sun and heat.
Freestanding These are heavy but portable with a little effort, which makes them an interesting option for large or irregular outdoor spaces where a traditional awning may not work.
Permanent patio cover systems These are permanent structures, but they have a variety of options. Options like drop screens, side drapery panels, and even sliding door panels provide the ultimate shade protection and can move from fully or partially enclosed to fully or partially open.

Eric M. Scop
VP Sales & Internet Marketing RetractableAwnings.com

Retractable Awnings and the Changing of the Season

Hey, what's the weather like where you are? As the weather and leaves start to change, it's a nice time to ponder: what kinds of weather do you use retractable awnings, retractable patio covers and other retractable shade systems for? Take our short, confidential five question survey!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PQJ8MDL

Sketching out Your Next Design Project

Kimberlee Jaynes in the Northwest Society of Interior Designers (NWSID) has a catchy line:

"Your environment dictates your life."

You have to keep that in mind when you're planning a new project. Your environment dictates how you live in a space.

Retractable awnings, canopies, and other shade systems are usually part of a larger design project. Like other major assets – couches, tables, flooring, decks – they define a space, both exterior and interior.

To really make your design effective, plan your retractable awnings or shade systems as carefully as you plan other elements with your furnishing or landscaping.

There are four factors in play with the design process. Their priority is going to vary depending on the project and the goals, but these always need to be considered in some fashion.

1: Style, both in architecture and landscaping

Keep your retractable awning or shade system design in keeping with the architectural style and era of your building or home. Traditional lateral arm awnings work on almost any style but may not work with certain kinds of landscaping where trees and shrubs block the awning or that require full sun. Highly-rounded canopies look best on Spanish or Art Deco styles but are less appropriate for ultra-modern styles.

2: Comfort

People use a space in the way that is most comfortable. When you're designing for retractable awnings or patio covers, try to define how that space is going to be used:

How are you using a space and how to do you want to use a space? What change is necessary to allow the space to be used the way you want?
Do you want to use indoor space or outdoor space? Barbeques by the pool or after-work coffee?
What environment factors do you want to mitigate and what do you want to emphasize? Is it too bright? Too hot?

3: Ease of use

Almost all of our retractable systems are motorized because it makes them so much easier to extend and retract. There are a lot of options for setting how to open and close your awning for maximum comfort:

Multi-setting remotes that allow you to preset different awning positions.
Environmental sensors that automatically close or open awnings based on light levels, rain, wind speed, or other factors
Timers
Indoor/outdoor switches
Indoor temperature sensors

4: Quality v. cost

At some point, every project comes down to dollars and cents. It is always important to balance quality with cost. A less expensive awning frequently comes with a shorter lifetime – as short as two or three years before the fabric wears out and the frame corrodes or bends. Higher quality retractable awnings and patio covers can be warrantied for as long as 10 years on the fabric and 25 years on the frame.

The NWSID advises people to set a reasonable, affordable budget and then get the highest quality they can. The longevity – and the better aesthetics – are worth it.

Company Bio

RetractableAwnings.com an A+ Better Business Bureau member for 19 years has been assembling and distributing the highest-quality, uniquely designed European sun, wind, rain, bug and snow protection systems for 25 years. This is our passion – finding extraordinary and lovely solutions to make the outdoors more comfortable and more useful. From private homes to major architectural and landscape design projects, we have the expertise to help. Just ask: 1-866-438-2964 or 305-628-2424.

Retractableawnings.com
Corporate offices and fabrication
5160 NW 165 Street
Miami Gardens, Florida, 33014-6303

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In Partnership with Crest Capital Equipment Leasing

October 2011 Newsletter

Cool Down the Summer with Vintage Fall Style

In Partnership with
Crest Capital Equipment Leasing