Threshold and transition
Canopy
hotelhospitalschoolstationpublic building
A light roof projecting from the facade over an entrance, a sidewalk or a platform, with no supports at the front or very few.
What it solves
It protects those arriving, waiting or leaving from rain and sun. In the tropics it lets people get out of the car or close an umbrella under cover and marks from afar where the entrance is.
Today
Give it a slope and a gutter so water does not fall on those entering, and enough projection to cover the door and the point where people get out of a car or a wheelchair. Light it at night to mark the entrance.
Common mistake
Making it so short or so high that wind-driven rain soaks those waiting underneath anyway.
Tomorrow
Canopies at schools, hospitals and stops can collect rain and add plants on top. With a ledge to sit on, they become shaded waiting places for older people and children.
Fact At the Zarzuela racecourse in Madrid the concrete roof cantilevers almost 13 meters and at its tip is only 5 centimeters thick.
Where it comes from
- 1French language France, 1835
The word marquise, which once named the awning over a tent, came to name the canopy in front of a building. - 2Paris Métro Paris, France, 1900 to 1913
Hector Guimard designs iron and glass entrances with a canopy projecting over the stairs, of which two originals remain.
Masters
- Eduardo Torroja Zarzuela Racecourse, Madrid, Spain, 1941
He covers the stands with concrete shells that project almost 13 meters without columns at the front. He teaches how far a thin roof can reach when its form does the work. - Oscar Niemeyer Ibirapuera Park canopy, São Paulo, Brazil, 1954
He links the park’s pavilions with a large free-form concrete covered walkway. Skaters, cyclists and families gather under it every day.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Threshold and transition
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.