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High quality standard and bespoke outdoor living products designed to create additional beautiful outdoor space protected from the often great, but extremely variable British weather.
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With Us TodaySamson Awnings offer a vast range of fixed or Retractable Awnings, commercial Retractable Canopies, Glassrooms, Parasols, External Vertical Blinds and Freestanding Structures to protect from the UK weather and extend the use of your outdoor space all year round.
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Butterfly Awnings For Commercial Use
What is a Butterfly Awning?
A butterfly awning is a free standing retractable awning system. Two retractable awnings are mounted back to back on a sturdy goal post framework, opening out to either side like a pair of wings. It is a design that has become the default answer for covering large open areas where there is no suitable building elevation to fix to, and the overwhelming majority of the systems we install are for commercial clients.
Butterfly awnings work because they solve a very specific commercial problem. Terraces, courtyards, forecourts and central seating areas often sit away from a wall, or have glazing, listed brickwork or an unsuitable substrate that rules out a wall fixed awning. A butterfly awning stands on its own two posts, shades from the middle outwards, and gives you a completely clear span underneath with no centre pole to work around. For a venue that has to move covers, staff and customers through the space, that clear floor area matters more than almost anything else.
The commercial case for outdoor cover has strengthened considerably. The Met Office has confirmed 2026 as the UK’s warmest and sunniest year on record, the seventh time the annual temperature record has been broken this century, with summer 2026 the warmest summer since records began in 1884. Sustained sunshine is now a planning assumption rather than a lucky break, and shade has moved from a nice to have into a duty of care and a comfort expectation. Cancer Research UK reported that melanoma diagnoses passed 20,000 a year in the UK for the first time and are projected to reach around 26,500 a year by 2040, while research from Melanoma Focus found 49 per cent of British adults are sunburnt at least once a year, rising to 65 per cent among 18 to 32 year olds. Any organisation with staff, pupils, patients, residents or paying customers sitting outdoors has a genuine reason to provide proper UV protection.
At the same time, outdoor seating has become a real revenue line. The UK eating out market is forecast to reach £102.8 billion in 2026, and Lightspeed transaction data showed restaurants recording an 8.42 per cent uplift in transactions during warmer months. Covered outdoor seating extends trading hours, protects covers when a shower arrives, and lets operators sell the same square metres for far more of the year. British al fresco culture is no longer seasonal, and the venues doing best from it are those whose outdoor space works in sun, light rain and cooler evenings.
Stay Open for Longer
For most UK commercial applications the requirement is not only sun protection but shelter from rain and the ability to stay open in a stiff breeze. This is an important distinction. Many butterfly awning systems on the market are sun protection products only and simply do not have the structural strength or the fabric performance to be used in wind and rain. Getting this right at specification stage is the single biggest factor in whether the system earns its keep.
COMMERCIAL MARKET SECTORS WE SUPPLY
Butterfly awnings suit almost any sector with an open outdoor area to cover. Typical applications include:
- Pubs, bars and beer gardens , covering central seating islands and smoking or vaping shelters
- Restaurants, cafes and coffee shops , extending covers onto terraces, forecourts and pavement areas
- Hotels and event venues, protecting courtyards, wedding and drinks reception areas and poolside terraces
- Breweries, distilleries, taprooms, farm shops, with large open yards and tasting areas
- Schools, colleges, universities and student unions , providing shaded outdoor teaching, dining and social space
- Nurseries, Pre-School and early years settings , where UV protection for young children is a safeguarding requirement
- Care homes, hospices, hospitals and healthcare facilities, giving residents and patients safe shaded outdoor access
- Retail parks, shopping centres and garden centres , sheltering entrances, cafe seating and display areas
- Corporate offices and business parks , creating outdoor breakout, meeting and staff dining areas
- Sports clubs, golf clubs, leisure centres and stadia, covering spectator seating, terraces and clubhouse patios
- Holiday parks, campsites, glamping sites and visitor attractions, covering communal dining and queuing areas
- Industrial and logistics sites, providing sheltered welfare, break and loading areas
Wherever the space sits, the specification questions are the same. How large an area needs covering, how exposed is the site, how often will the cover be used in poor weather, and how will the frame be anchored.
BUTTERFLY AWNING FRAMEWORK AND CONSTRUCTION
The framework is the part of a butterfly awning that decides how long the system will last and how confidently your team will use it. It carries the entire load of the awnings, resists wind uplift and holds the geometry true so the retractable awnings run cleanly year after year.
A commercial grade butterfly awning framework is built from heavy gauge steel or aluminium box section, with two vertical support posts and a substantial cross member connecting them at the head. There is no centre support, which is what gives the system its advantage over large centre pole parasols and umbrellas. The frame is powder coated to a matched colour and finished with a top profile that ties the structure visually into the awning cassettes above.
Key construction points to specify:
- Single frame widths up to 7 metres, with coupled configurations extending to around 14 metres across multiple bays
- Maximum overall height of around 3 metres, giving a walk under clearance comfortably over 2 metres even at full extension
- Round or angular column profiles, chosen to suit the architecture of the building
- Powder coated finish in standard or non standard RAL colours, with matched top profiles
- Fully enclosed cassette housings so the fabric and mechanism are protected when retracted
- CE marked and wind load tested frameworks, tested and manufactured in Germany
- Independent operation of each side, so one awning can be extended alone as the sun moves
Fixing method is a specification decision rather than a detail:
- Concrete foundations, the permanent option, giving maximum wind stability and the specification we recommend for year round commercial use
- Surface fixing to an existing structural slab where the substrate and depth are suitable
- Weighted stabilisation boxes, which avoid intrusive groundworks and suit listed sites, leased premises, block paving and areas with services below ground. Weight boxes can also be finished to double as planters, seating plinths or decorative features
For any site that will be in use all year, we will always recommend a permanently anchored frame. Where groundworks are not possible, stabilisation boxes are a proven alternative and we will size them to the frame, the awning projection and the exposure of the location.
LED LIGHTING AND HEATING
Lighting and heating are what turn a shaded lunch area into an evening trading space, and on commercial projects they are usually the accessories with the clearest return on investment.
Integrated LED lighting options include:
- LED spots set into the cassette or the folding arms, giving directional light onto tables below
- LED line strips running along the arms for even, low glare illumination
- Coloured RGB warm white lighting, dimmable and scene controlled, for venues that want to change the mood through the evening
- Free standing frame mounted lighting where the framework itself carries the fittings
Heating options include:
- Infrared heaters mounted to the cross member or cassette, warming people and surfaces directly rather than heating the air
- Zoned control so heat is only used where customers are seated
- Combined light and heat units for a cleaner installation with fewer visible fittings
Because the light and heat are built into the structure rather than plugged in around it, there are no trailing cables, no gas bottles to store and change, and no patio heaters taking up floor space. Wiring is run through the frame and terminated by our installation teams, and we will always discuss the electrical supply and isolation requirements with your contractor at survey stage.
Retractable Pergola Awnings For Larger Sizes
Where a project needs more span, a steeper pitch or better performance in wind and rain, a retractable pergola awning mounted on the butterfly framework is the stronger answer.
A pergola awning differs from a folding arm awning in an important way. The fabric is guided along the sides of the structure rather than tensioned by folding arms alone, which keeps the cover taut, sheds water more effectively and allows far larger areas to be covered with confidence. Mounted on a free standing frame, the result is a fully retractable fabric roof rather than a shade sail.
Why specify a pergola awning on a butterfly frame:
- Substantially better wind stability than a folding arm awning of the same size
- Lateral fabric guidance for a taut cover and reliable water run off
- Larger single spans and greater projections for high capacity commercial areas
- Integrated guttering and drainage options
- Integrated LED lighting and heating within the beam sections
- Optional vertical side blinds and glazed sides to enclose the space
The markilux pergola range includes the pergola classic with its round fabric cassette, the pergola compact for smaller and more constrained spaces, and the pergola cubic with a square cassette for contemporary architecture. Long standing customers may still know these systems by their earlier markilux Pergola 110 and 210 designations. Fitted to a free standing frame, they deliver real weather protection in the variable UK climate and are our usual recommendation for hospitality clients who intend to trade outdoors through spring and autumn.
Markilux Syncra
The Markilux Syncra is the butterfly awning framework we specify most often, and for good reason. It is engineered, tested and manufactured in Germany, where the climate is every bit as changeable as ours, and it has been designed and tested for wind and rain rather than sunshine alone. Where a client needs a serious all year round free standing system, the Syncra is frequently the only solution that genuinely qualifies.
Syncra specification summary:
- Free standing awning stand system for open areas with no suitable building elevation
- Available as Syncra Uno with a single awning, or Syncra Duo with awnings mounted both sides
- Syncra Fix anchored to concrete foundations, or Syncra Flex set up on weighted stabilisation boxes
- Two support columns, available round or angular, with a solid cross connection for extreme stability
- Maximum single unit dimensions of 700 cm width by 450 cm extension
- Shades up to around 60 square metres as a single system, with coupled configurations covering over 100 square metres
- Up to three bays linked together in the Syncra Fix configuration
- Cassette dimensions of 125mm by 125 mm
- Adjustable pitch range from 5 to 35 degrees
- Compatible with markilux folding arm awnings including the markilux 6000, MX-2 and 970, and with all markilux pergola models
- Fabric ranges including visutex, suncolours, smart art and fire retardant perla FR
- Lighting options including coloured RGB warm white, LED line and LED spots
- ShadePlus drop down front valance available with motor or crank handle
- Operation by manual crank, hard wired motor, radio motor or smart home control
- Standard frame colours of traffic white RAL 9016, metallic aluminium RAL 9006, grey brown similar to RAL 8019, off white textured 5233, stone grey metallic 5215, anthracite metallic 5204 and havana brown textured 5229, with non standard RAL colours available
The practical advantage on site is the clear span. There is no centre support of the kind large umbrellas require, headroom is generous, and both awnings operate independently so you can shade one side in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Samson Awnings also supply the Weinor Duofix butterfly awning system. We can also manufacturer bespoke steel or aluminium framework systems when a standard system or size doesn’t work. We will always tell you plainly which system fits your site and which does not.
Lewens Universal Support Frame
The Lewens Universal Support Frame is a genuinely versatile alternative, and it widens the specification options considerably. Rather than being tied to one product type, it acts as a flexible base for folding arm awnings, retractable pergolas and glass roof systems alike, which makes it useful on sites where the brief changes during design or where several structures need to read as one scheme.
Lewens Universal Support Frame specification summary:
- Suitable as a support base for awnings, pergolas and glass roof systems
- Maximum single unit width of 700 cm
- Maximum double unit width of 1,400 cm
- Maximum height of 350 cm
- Wall mounted, free standing on foundations, or free standing and weighted, adapting to almost any structural situation
- Standard frame colour range with further colour options available
- Over 300 awning fabric designs and multiple fabric types across the Lewens range
- Can be specified alongside Lewens glass roof systems with integrated awnings or zip screen shading
The frame is particularly useful where a client wants glazed rain cover over part of a terrace and retractable fabric shade over the rest, all on a consistent structural language and a single colour finish. As a long established UK specialist partner for Lewens, we can specify the frame, the awnings and the glass roof elements as one coordinated package.
CASE STUDIES
Butterfly awning projects completed by Samson Awnings across the UK:
Installation,Maintenance and Warranty
Every commercial butterfly awning we supply is surveyed before it is quoted. Our teams assess the ground conditions, exposure, services below ground, access for installation and the intended pattern of use, then specify the frame, fixing method, awning model and fabric to match. Installation is carried out by our own directly employed and experienced installation teams.
What to expect from a Samson commercial project:
- Free site survey and technical specification with drawings where required
- Advice on planning permission, listed building consent and pavement licensing where relevant
- Groundwork and foundation design, or weight box sizing where groundworks are not possible
- Electrical requirements confirmed in advance for motors, lighting and heating
- Manufacturer backed warranties on frames, mechanisms, motors and fabrics
- Annual servicing, fabric cleaning and replacement covers to keep the system in commercial service for the long term
Correct specification is what makes these systems last. An undersized frame, the wrong fixing method or a sun only fabric on an exposed terrace will disappoint whatever the badge on the cassette. We would rather have that conversation at survey stage than after installation.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a butterfly awning?
A butterfly awning is a free standing retractable awning system with two retractable awnings mounted either side of a goal post framework, opening out like a pair of wings. It shades large open areas without needing to be fixed to a building.
How large an area can a butterfly awning cover?
A single markilux Syncra frame covers up to around 60 square metres. Coupled configurations with multiple bays and 4 metre projections can cover in excess of 100 square metres.
Can a butterfly awning be used in rain?
Some can and some cannot, and this is the most important question to ask. The markilux Syncra has been designed and tested for wind and rain with suitable waterproof fabric, and a retractable pergola mounted on a free standing frame performs better still. Sun only systems such as the Winsol Terrasol should not be relied on in wind or rain.
Do I need groundworks for a butterfly awning?
Not always. Concrete foundations give the best long term stability and are our usual recommendation, but weighted stabilisation boxes are a proven alternative where groundworks are not possible, for example on listed sites, leased premises or over buried services.
Can lighting and heating be fitted?
Yes. Integrated LED spots, LED line strips and RGB warm white lighting can be built into the cassettes and arms, and infrared heaters can be mounted to the frame or cassette for zoned evening warmth.
Can the fabric carry our branding?
Yes. Printed fabrics, house colours and valance branding are all available, and fire retardant fabric options are available for licensed and public premises.
Do you install nationwide?
Yes. Samson Awnings design, supply and install commercial butterfly awning systems across the UK from our Northamptonshire base, covering the Midlands, Home Counties and beyond.
