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Building canopies need to withstand extreme weather, just like a variety of other products and materials, including Mapes infill panels.  In a state like Florida that experiences extreme weather and hurricanes, the state building department requires that certain products receive specific Florida Product Approval (FPA). These products must be evaluated and tested to certify that they meet or exceed the design requirements.  However, when it...

A key aspect of excellent design is considering the finishing details and seeing how they can help bring a client's vision to life.  Professionally finished buildings have a cohesive style that increases the building’s appeal and helps architects meet the design preferences of their clients. Using elements like canopies to create a building with style, function and durability will bring architects’ designs to new heights....

Commercial canopies — especially metal commercial canopies — are a great finishing touch for a commercial design because they make it cohesive and offer excellent branding opportunities. However, like any design element, commercial canopies need to balance form and function to fit into the overall aesthetic of the building.  Understanding Commercial Canopies Canopies are an excellent way for architects to add function to a design...

Aluminum canopies are excellent choices for architects and builders who want their designs and buildings to have elevated style and sophistication without sacrificing durability. Architects can get custom aluminum canopies expertly crafted in a range of sizes, colors and finishes. Whether it’s for a modern, streamlined office building or a local shop that wants to evoke the warmth and personality of traditional stores, aluminum canopies...

One of the primary advantages of receiving a Mapes canopy fully pre-assembled is to reduce the least efficient part of the canopy installation, the field assembly of the canopy. Many times, a working construction site is less than an ideal environment to assemble a pre-fabricated canopy system. Working around ongoing public activities, unfavorable weather elements, using improvised spaces to properly assemble a canopy (or canopies)...

Now is the time to literally think outside of the box. The need for functional open-air spaces has never been more important to businesses whose seating has been restricted. By adding a Mapes Canopy, you can provide a covered area to protect customers and expand the outdoor seating for your restaurant or business. Mapes Canopies Has Your Outdoor Seating Covered. Outside spaces for restaurants offer...

Weather protected access to dock doors requires deep projection canopies to protect door openings and truck loading / unloading. Deep projection canopies at 8ft projection and long runs along multiple dock doors requires a unified canopy system design that can be confidently engineered to meet heavy snow and drift loads at this location. Mapes has a proven reputation for that capability over many years and many installations. Also necessary and provided are the materials and methods and experience to anchor deep projection/high-load canopies to specially engineered precast building wall panels. Again, years of experience are critical to a successful, long term install.

Download this Case Study THE IMPORTANCE OF WHAT, WHERE AND HOW When you specify an architectural canopy, you know it’s an investment that must withstand the test of time and weather, which is why every material must be considered––from the substrate to the finish. Paint is an essential element when it comes to the aesthetic value and longevity of your canopy. Lower-grade liquid paints and...

Showcasing a standard Mapes flat-soffit canopy in three different wall façade treatments. Architectural styles often change with the introduction of newer materials or methods of manufacturing and construction. It can be difficult to create a harmonious mix of materials while specifying a combination of these materials and methods. It’s possible to create a combination of materials that clash in appearance and methods of construction. This...

Almost all fast-growing companies who are wanting to expand their reach across the country have the desire to build a consistent visual brand image that is a reflection of their brand name and reputation. That factor concept may seem straightforward, but can be hard to achieve without supporting vendors that understand how important that concept is. A vendor must be aware of a client’s critical...

It's a given that mixed use building environments can have a variety of visual architectural cues to mark the primary entry point of a building. If the building environment has several accessible facades, the question of what activity or business is accessible from where become an important consideration. If the building is approached by vehicle, the need for easy and quick and certain wayfinding is...

Many “professional offices” do not have ten stories above them with lots of glass, polished metal and a dramatic two story entrance to mark their location. And yet those smaller offices need and want a professional appearance to their office location and entrance that provides direction and creates a favorable impression as clients approach the building—the question then is: “What can be installed onto both...

What phrase is often used in architecture? “We first shape it and then it shapes us”. Architecture with a purpose often conveys in its design and materials a message to its intended observers and customers. First State Bank Nebraska design and materials does just that. First State Bank Nebraska is a newly constructed building in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was opened in late Spring 2017 and...

"Mixed Use" is currently a buzz word in real estate development. It has been a desirable concept, but elusive for many years in denser urban areas of many cities. It first required an intrinsic local traffic demand (people spending time and money) to support a truly mixed use environment. This required there to be more retail and services available before the traffic would develop. This concept...

The architectural styles that dominate the city of Santa Fe, NM are predominately of a strong Southwestern style with coloration that blends well with the surrounding geography. In newer commercial architecture, you often find a interpretation of traditional colors and styles blended into the corporate identity of the building design. In designing the new buildings, there has been an ever increasing effort to acknowledge the...

St. Leo School is a recently constructed school accommodating K-8 grades and is primarily a Catholic faith based school for the surrounding counties. Students are dropped off and picked up by both school buses and parents. The challenge for this situation is to provide a large protective canopy that can accommodate groups of students arriving by both busses  and lines of cars at the same time. Fortunately...

Curves add interest and invitation to Mapes solid deck Superlumideck canopies in many different applications on many different building styles. These are 2 recent examples that offer a variety of potential uses. While one is on a new medical office building just outside of Louisville, KY, the other is on a new building at the New River Community College near Beckley, WV. And they would be...

Pre-engineered metal buildings are, no doubt, efficient building structures, but they are often less appreciated because the visual potential is seldom developed compared to normally constructed buildings. In reality, it takes only a little design creativity with color, landscaping treatments and façade accents to bring  the building  to life and draw compliments on the appearance. That is what this case study is about. Without mentioning a...

There are times in a design scheme that a minimal look is what you want to see and that look relates to the canopies and sunshades on the project. Mapes can do that. And do it well and with style choices you can work with to meet your design objectives. Traditionally, most of our canopies and sunshades utilize the overhead hanger rod support design. This...

Mother Nature, both an artist extraordinaire and, at times, a pain to deal with. Snow drifted onto overhead building canopies can be a beautiful artistic creation of Mother Nature and she often surprises us with her creations in some unwanted places. That would be on the top of building roofs and on building canopies. BUT…Mapes Canopies are engineered to accommodate Mother Nature when she does...

“Form follows function” is an old saying from years ago. Not only in past building styles but in new buildings as well. The brand new The Fresh Market building in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania is a very good example. The building follows the design themes of many years ago with durable brick exterior walls with tall light admitting windows and also the full building roof length...

The need to combine functionality with visual appeal in architecture is a common occurrence. A balance between the two requires understanding priorities for each aspect. With the new school building for The Linwood Center, the dictates of the building purpose and the building siting established set parameters of need for a functional sunshade. The aesthetics preferences were influenced by the overall exterior designs and materials...

The new Avalon Elementary School exemplifies contemporary architectural design trends in the use of mixed materials and surface textures in the exterior elevations. The new school is in Fort Washington, Prince Georges County, Maryland. This school is just south of Alexandria and not too far from the Potomac River—a good setting for a nicely designed new school. The Mapes “SuperShade” sunshade with a clear anodized...

When you build anything in a coastal zone of Florida, you need to expect some very windy days. Enough to huff and puff and blow your house down. This 5 Guys Restaurant is only 15 miles inland from Ft Myers Beach, Florida and is in a windy 130 mph wind zone. The structure was built to the local codes and the Mapes Lumishade canopies attached...

Who has not looked at an existing underutilized or empty warehouse building constructed of precast “twin T” style concrete walls. This construction style was both strong in design and quick to erect but when no longer needed for the intended purpose, it was hard to work with the exterior wall style for most adaptive reuses. But this project has succeeded quite well in both appearance...

The downtown area of Del Ray Beach, Florida where this project is located, has long been a destination for tourists and beach lovers.  In the last several years downtowns everywhere have been diversifying with more accommodations for both living and working in the downtown environs. While downtown Del Ray Beach is still primarily a beach destination, it is also becoming a place to live and...

The building design and usage required substantial natural lighting and benefited from the southern exposure for that purpose. But along with the benefit came the heat gain situation with the larger windows being used. It was a natural conclusion to provide a shading component to the building façade which faces south. Mapes SuperShade sunshade was specified and installed to achieve effective shading and heat gain...

The building was existing, the business district has an inviting feel and the demographics are very supportive. The challenge was in creating an inviting storefront and access to the second floor space over 1st floor retail space for the purpose of a Children's creative learning center. Brown Craig Turner Architects accomplished this nicely and is inviting to all ages. One of the elements that plays...

Many times either the reality or the perception of mini storage facilities is more toward the very functional appearance, which is understandable. But as the use of mini storage facilities has become almost a norm, the design appearance has been upgraded with more inviting styles and details. Your Space Storage in Joppatown, Maryland is an excellent example. In addition to a substantial overall upgrade in...

The Architects for Hardwood Artisans, a custom furniture maker in Arlington, Virginia  wanted specially designed showroom front window canopies that would reflect the reputation of the company known for its high quality furniture.  ARZ Architects in Gaithersburg, Maryland specified custom detailed architectural canopies from Mapes Canopies. To update the existing storefront, six Mapes overhead supported canopies were chosen with Mapes custom designed infill decorative deck...