London weather is back to rainy today but in the last couple of days we were excited to see blue skies and sunrays over the city, reminiscent of long-missed summer days! The excitement lasts at least until you get out there and the impossible cold instantly reminds you that it’s still only January. It doesn’t harm to dream though, and we find the prospect of enjoying the sun while lounging on a roof terrace taking in amazing views one little can compare to. These innovative, funky and stylish shading solutions give us inspiration for creating little shelters to hide under when the combination of mojitos and direct sunshine becomes a bit too much. Some of them can also offer protection from rain but who needs that in London? Introducing our thematic posts, we are getting inspired by LIGHT AND SHADOWS!
Biomimicry can go a long way in shading design, as proves Orquideorama in Medellin, Colombia by Plan B architects, made from steel reinforced pine wood weave.
Tension fabric structures from GuildWorks.
Modular pavillions like Cabanne from Bestetti Associati made of aluminium, wood or fabric.
Bio – inspired dynamic systems like the facade designed by AHR Architecture , whose geometry responds to the movement of the sun, folding and unfolding the single shading elements.
Metropol Parasol by J. Mayer H. is a great large scale example of flowing, organic wood engineering while the wooden pergola designed by Assemblage studio implements the terrace design with the elegant shadows it casts.
Pergolas and their shadows are also very interesting in metal, like the custom made TLC Designs corten version immitating falling leaves or the minimal but great looking metal pergolas from landscape architect Nathan Burkett.
