Every school setting is different, as are pupils, learning styles, and environments. Providing outdoor settings for students to enjoy is essential, and this doesn’t have to be affected by the weather. A canopy is the perfect solution, creating protected areas for dining, studying, socialising, and even outdoor lessons!
At A&S Landscape, we understand the unique needs that senior schools have. We’re also passionate about outdoor canopies, each one offering a distinct solution to cover any school setting, come rain or shine. In this blog, we’ve put together 5 outdoor shelter ideas to inspire your outdoor space transformation, helping you create a practical and engaging environment for your students.
Let’s get into it…
What are the Benefits of an Outdoor Canopy?
Before we get into our ideas, it might be beneficial for you to understand how your school could benefit from an outdoor canopy. As well as providing valuable space for both students and staff, there are a range of other benefits of a school canopy, including:
- Enhanced learning environment – having outdoor lessons can boost student engagement and well-being. The role of a canopy in this can make outdoor learning more comfortable and accessible throughout the year.
- Protection from the elements – if it isn’t already obvious, a canopy can shelter students from rain, sun, and snow, allowing them to enjoy the outdoors comfortably during all seasons.
- Versatility – a canopy can be used for a variety of different purposes, as we’ll find out in this blog, including dining areas, outdoor classrooms, walkways, and social spaces.
- Improved aesthetics – well-designed canopies can enhance the visual appeal of your school, creating a welcoming and attractive space for students, staff, and visitors.
For more information, have a read of our blog: Why Secondary Schools Should Invest in Outdoor Canopies.
Our 5 Outdoor Shelter Ideas for Different School Settings
As we’ve mentioned above, an outdoor canopy is extremely versatile and can offer a whole range of different purposes. If you’re ready to transform your outdoor space, then keep reading for our 5 favourite outdoor shelter ideas for your school.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at them in a bit more detail…
1. An Outdoor Dining Experience
Since the pandemic, the significance of outdoor dining canopies has grown nationwide, for homes and hospitality businesses as well as schools. An emphasis on alfresco dining has heightened, and a canopy contributes to the practicality of outdoor eating and socialising. A dining canopy can be a great solution if your school suffers from overcrowding at lunchtime and can encourage students to interact and enjoy their meals together.
We recommend – Our Motiva Expanse™ canopy. The future of school dining, this canopy can be made as a standalone or attached structure, as well as offering additional features such as flooring, lighting, heating or seating. Snow-safe and wind-safe, students can enjoy al fresco dining no matter the weather!
2. Welcome Entrances and Drop-Off Zones
Create a welcoming and functional space for students, parents, and visitors by investing in an entrance canopy. A covered entrance offers a safe and well-sheltered waiting area for students while they wait to be picked up, especially if there is an unexpected downpour. A canopy can also define a safe drop-off zone, improving traffic flow and reducing congestion around the school entrance.
We recommend – The Motiva Mono™. This design comes with an asymmetric roof where one side of the roof is higher than the other, a standard canopy configuration for canopies located against building elevations such as a school entrance. Widths of 10000mm are easily achieved, with even wider widths available with additional design features.
3. Covered Walkways
Another great school setting idea is to invest in covered walkways. One thing that project managers forget about is the transitional space between buildings within schools. However, this can easily be resolved with a covered walkway, one of our canopy designs that will protect pupils in poor weather and add protection to pathways.
We recommend – The Motiva Duo™. This symmetric curved roof variant is one of the most common standalone structures and is perfect for covered walkways as well as playgrounds and outdoor dining areas. With a wide range of side panel and door options, your pupils will be kept well-sheltered as they travel between lessons!
4. Bike Shelters
If you provide pupils with a high-quality infrastructure, then they might opt to choose cycling over driving to school. There are plenty of benefits of cycling to school, so having a dedicated cycle shelter equipped with cycle racks can ensure that cyclists can confidently and securely store their bikes throughout the day. It will also provide shelter so that the bikes won’t get damaged in the wind or rain.
We recommend – Our Cyclo City™ design is one of our favourites. Made with a robust steel frame and 35mm thick roof, this structure is snow-safe and wind-safe and complete with a dura-coat finish™. Keep your pupil’s bikes well-sheltered with this reliable and sturdy bike shelter.
5. Educational Courtyard Space
Finally on our list of outdoor shelter ideas is to create an educational courtyard space where students can socialise, relax, and hang out during break times. This can be easily achieved with one of our school shade sails, offering year-round protection because of its durable fabric which is stretched between posts to cover your desired area. This type of canopy is the perfect solution to get students outside during breaks no matter the weather.
We recommend – our Maxima StarSail™. This design is a spectacular combination of a Shade Sail and Umbrella design around a centre post, promoting a cool and breezy new look! Choose between shade cloth or other waterproof fabrics to create a stunning shaded area, perfect for playgrounds and creating other social zones.
Invest in a School Canopy With A&S Landscape!
We hope that this blog has given you plenty of outdoor shelter ideas that you can take inspiration from. Whether you want to create a sustainable garden, invest in an outdoor dining area, or simply want a shaded space, you can achieve it all with a canopy from A&S Landscape.
Our team are truly passionate about the design and installation of outdoor structures. And, with over 40 years of experience, you can trust us to guide you through your latest canopy project.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. A member of our expert team will be more than happy to get back to you. Or, give us a call on 01743 444 100.
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