Rooftop Pergola Design For Restaurant
Outdoor Dining Space in Heavy Wind Zone
Rooftop Pergola Project
The winter of 2020 was a difficult time for the hospitality industry in general, and restaurants in particular. At the height of the pandemic, as outdoor dining looked to be the only option for diners, one restaurant in historic South Beach Miami sought out our manufacturing partner, Azenco, to help design and expand its outdoor space with a rooftop pergola. The restaurant owners wanted to create an all-weather outdoor dining space while carrying the trendy nightlife vibe of the restaurant interior into the rooftop dining space without losing its open and airy feeling.
Product Choice
Type: Commercial Rooftop Pergola
Date: December 2020
Model: R-BLADE™ (Motorized louvered roof)
Type: Multiple freestanding pergolas
Size: 3,000 sqft
Options: Rain sensor for motorized louvers & retractable fabric screens
Color: Two tones with white louvers + gray bronze textured pillars and frame
Benefits: Integrated weather sensors automatically close the louvered roofs as rain showers approach
Designing a Rooftop Pergola
MILA is located in the tourist-rich Lincoln Road retail district in Miami Beach, where the restaurant is known for its eclectic “Mediterasian,” menu and cocktails. The chef and resident mixologists tease diners with spiritually-creative, explosive flavors that stand out even in the famously posh city.
The restaurant layout already included an expansive outdoor dining area atop the roof deck, but the space became unbearably hot at the height of the day. With only patio umbrellas protecting diners from the sun and passing showers, the restaurant owners also were unable to rely on the outdoor space to be available, and could not guarantee a comfortable environment for guests to relax.
To ensure the rooftop seating would be confidently available for seating guests, the owners sought out an all-weather rooftop pergola that could also seal out the rain without sacrificing the hip alfresco feeling of the outdoor space.
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Project Conceptualization
Envisioning their new covered rooftop dining space, the restaurant owners wanted to find a pergola product that would allow them to maintain their diners view of the gorgeous deep blue tropical sky during the day. The Azenco design team developed a series of interlaced, freestanding R-BLADE™ adjustable louvered roof pergolas to cover the roof top deck. A massive multi-zone pergola was erected that stretched the full length of the restaurant providing vast coverage for the space. Smaller pergolas were then introduced to create covered areas within the overall design. These smaller pergolas would allow the restaurant to create niche private spaces for guests. With the combined series of pergola structures erected, the whole outdoor space was protected under a floating roof system, and the various sections of pergola roof created a stylistic layered look for the space.
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Benefits of the Louvered Roof System
The R-BLADE™ adjustable louvered roof pergola was the ideal product for this interconnected restaurant rooftop. Its insulated dual-walled louvers reflected the hot sun and kept diners below cool and comfortable while they enjoyed their meals. Outfitted with whisper quiet motors, the louvers could be angled throughout the day as the sun conditions changed. The R-BLADE™ is also the only louvered roof pergola on the market that features a gapless roof design capable of truly blocking out all rain water, channeling it through a hidden internal gutter system and draining it away from diners. To make the dining experience as enjoyable as possible, the Azenco team also integrated smart rain sensors into each R-BLADE™ pergola which would automatically close the roof at the first sign of rain. This intuitive feature meant that restaurant staff could focus their full attention on their guests rather than watching for approaching storms.
Learn More +Rooftop Pergola Color Selection
To establish a seamless connection between the existing indoor aesthetic and the new rooftop pergola, the Azenco team added fabric screens to gently diffuse light and add some privacy for individual dining alcoves. The all-aluminum R-BLADE™ pergolas were clad in a complimentary two-tone powder coated exterior that fit perfectly with the restaurant’s styling. With the pergola support columns clad in a gray and bronze-textured coating, and the louvers offset in matte white, the structure gained a sense of height and made the pergola pop against the deep blue sky.
Learn More +Challenges of Building in a Storm-Resistant Pergola in a Historic District
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AZENCO OUTDOOR Manufacturing: Custom-manufactured adjustable louvered pergolas.
Delivery: 1 Week
Mounting on site: 1 Week
Constructing a rooftop pergola for a restaurant within the confines of a historic district that was attempting to match a mid-century architectural neighborhood is never an easy feat. With a unique combination of style and durability, the R-BLADE™ pergolas found a fond audience with the local regulators. Because the R-BLADE™ has no external assembly hardware, it carries perfectly clean exterior lines into every project. The complimentary and sleek exterior of the R-BLADE™ was the ideal fit for the district.
Like the mountain regions around Colorado Springs and Denver, this region sees a lot of storm activity with high winds being a regular presence. Because of these weather patterns, all outdoor living structures must pass strict engineering standards. Azenco was able to anchor the multiple pergola structures together to sufficiently safeguard the structure against these high winds. The regulatory approvals were further accelerated because the R-BLADE™ had already been certified by the local regulators as hurricane-resistant, and awarded a NOA certificate denoting that the product had been tested and endured hurricane-class winds.
Since reopening with its new rooftop pergola, the new MILA restaurant terrace has become one of the town’s hottest reservations. While the project was born of necessity during unique pandemic dining restrictions, with diners protected from the extreme sun and inevitable rain showers, the restaurant owners are now able to guarantee reservations and actively anticipate revenues from the rooftop restaurant.
Turn around
AZENCO OUTDOOR Manufacturing: Custom-manufactured adjustable louvered pergolas.
Delivery: 1 Week
Mounting on site: 1 Week
