Awning design inspired by a dragon

By Sigrid Tornquist

Awnings are like first impressions; they set the expectation for a patron’s experience, whatever the venue. Ohio Awning took on the difficult project of creating an awning for a Thai restaurant looking to make a dramatic statement with an awning that resembled a dragon. Ohio Awning’s design suggested the shape of the dragon and they applied dragon graphics to the nose of the canopy. The mesh fabric was attached to the underside of the canopy frame, so that the frame was accentuated to look like the ribs of the dragon. “It was a challenging project,” says Andy Morse, Ohio Awning president. “What was particularly challenging was making the undulating frame, which also had posts that look like dragon legs.”

Sigrid Tornquist is a freelance author and editor based in St. Paul, Minn. She is also the associate editor of InTents magazine, a publication of the Industrial Fabrics Association International.