What is Solarlux By Minimal Frame Projects UK?

Solarlux By Minimal Frame Projects UK shares 19 pages of glass systems, product videos, brochures, blog posts, and ways to send inquiries.

What is the difference between a glass canopy and a wintergarden?

A canopy is an unheated roof that shelters an outdoor area, so a terrace, entrance or walkway stays usable in the rain. A wintergarden is a fully insulated room. If you want year-round use, that decision comes first.

Which canopies do you supply?

Four: SDL Alerio, the current generation on a 5° to 20° monopitch; SDL Acubis, the award-winning flat-roofed original at 2°; SDL Atrium plus, the wide-span all-rounder reaching 5.72 m across and 6.37 m deep with permanent roof ventilation; and SDL Aura, timber on the underside with aluminium outside in any RAL colour.

What roof pitch can a canopy have?

From 2° on SDL Acubis, which reads as a flat roof but still drains reliably, up to 20° on SDL Alerio's monopitch. SDL Aura can be monopitch or pitched.

How does the canopy meet the wall?

Each canopy is engineered for its site. SDL Acubis uses a low, single-piece wall joint that keeps the structure looking light, and SDL Alerio's structural members sit inside so the roof surface outside is seamless. Fixings follow the wall construction, which we check at survey.

What glass is used in a canopy?

The glazing and the aluminium structure are specified to the span, the wall and the exposure of the site, and the build-up is issued with the quotation so you can see exactly what you are buying.

Will a canopy make the room behind it dark?

No. The overhead surface is glazed rather than solid, and both SDL Alerio and SDL Acubis keep their structural members minimal so the roof reads as a plane from outside and below.

How is a canopy kept comfortable and lit?

Comfort is specified up front: SDL Alerio can carry heating, LED lighting and shading in the structure, the SDL Atrium plus adds permanent roof ventilation, and we can advise on solar control glass for a south or west facing terrace.

Do I need permission for a glass canopy?

Often not, but depth, height, listed status and conservation areas all change the answer. Send the postcode and photographs of the wall and we will tell you what applies before you commit.

Can a canopy be added to the house I already live in?

Yes. We survey the wall construction and the terrace levels so the canopy is fixed safely and drains away from the house, and the structure is made to suit the elevation you have.

How do I get a canopy priced?

Send photographs of the wall and the area you want covered with rough dimensions and the postcode, and we will confirm the structure the site allows and price it from your measurements.

A Solarlux glass canopy sheltering an entrance in glass and aluminium

Solarlux glass canopies

Glass canopies that keep the weather outside

Four glass canopy systems that put a rainproof, snow-load-bearing glass roof over a patio, a terrace or a restaurant courtyard, including the wide-span SDL Atrium plus. Slender aluminium rafters, internal structural members for a seamless flat roof surface, drainage designed into the profile, and a roof that can later be closed in with vertical glazing. Supplied and installed by our own teams across London, Surrey and the Home Counties.

Request a quotation See the four systems

4: canopy systems
2°: flattest pitch, SDL Acubis
5.72 m: span, SDL Atrium plus
Any RAL: aluminium cover finish

Made in Germany

Every canopy is manufactured by Solarlux at their own factory in Melle.

Engineered per site

Rafters, spans, fixings and drainage are calculated for your opening, not a kit size.

Across the South East

London, Surrey, Hampshire and the surrounding Home Counties.

See one working

Profile sections, glass builds and finishes in our Surbiton showroom, by appointment.

Next step

Send us the opening, we will quote it

Tell us the width, the height and the building. One of our team comes back with the systems that suit it, and a price.

One quotation for the systems that suit the opening, with no obligation
Survey, supply and installation by our own teams, never subcontracted
A reply within 24 hours, or call 0207 550 6550

Reviews

What our clients say

Alison Burton

Absolutely delighted with our recent purchase of sliding doors for our new orangery, part of a major renovation of our home. The quality is top-notch, and the sleek design will perfectly complement our ...

James Trinder

Minimal Frames have been outstanding throughout the process, from planning to install and aftercare. At all times their communication has been top-notch; fast and effective. Quality of ...

Narmina Hasanova

Bob and his team have taken on our tricky glass extension installation, embraced its complexity and delivered it to perfection. It truly is a stunning addition to the house. The team that worked on ...

Elliott Raggio

I am pleased to say that overall, I am delighted with the honorable customer service from Robert the company director at Minimal Frame Projects. Thank you to the surveyor and installation team ...

Bruce Fraser

Ultimately an excellent result. Great product. Bob, Mollie and the team worked hard at solving problems and timing. We appreciated their effort and approach.

G B

Bob and Minimal Frame have stepped in to help sort out problems with another glazing company. He has kept us well informed throughout and has worked tirelessly to deal with the manunufacture ...

The canopy range

Four canopies, four characters

The latest canopy from Solarlux, the award-winning flat-roofed original, the wide-span all-rounder and the one with timber on the underside. Filter by material, then open any system for its published figures and fixing details.

The current generation

SDL Alerio

The latest Solarlux glass canopy system. Internal structural members lend it a striking appearance from below and leave a seamless flat roof surface outside, while the aluminium profiles allow a very delicate-looking construction. A monopitch roof pitched between 5° and 20°, stand-alone or attached.

5–20° monopitch · seamless flat roof · heating, LED and shading

The flat-roof purist

SDL Acubis

A 2° roof pitch that is barely visible but still drains reliably, built as a stand-alone unit or as an extension to the building. Internal structural members keep the profile views filigree, and a low, single-piece wall joint gives the canopy a lightweight feel while speeding up assembly. German Design Award special mention and Iconic Award 2020.

2° pitch · single-piece wall joint · award-winning

The wide-span all-rounder

SDL Atrium plus

A patio roof for every situation: extremely large glass surfaces and spans, and complex special shapes accommodated. A span of up to 5.72 m and a roof depth of up to 6.37 m are possible, with concealed drainage and permanent roof ventilation. Built as a stand-alone unit or as an extension to the house, and closed in with vertical glazing in SL 20e, SL 25 or fixed glass to make a fully enclosed glass house.

Span to 5.72 m · roof depth to 6.37 m · permanent roof ventilation

The timber-lined canopy

SDL Aura

Wood on the inside of the canopy makes it a genuinely natural addition to the house, with aluminium covers outside in any RAL colour doing the weathering. Softline rafter profiles, a monopitch or pitched roof, and surface-mounted spotlight rails for lighting along the structure.

Wood/aluminium · monopitch or pitched · any RAL outside

At a glance

Which canopy suits your terrace

Four canopies of the same family, separated by the pitch you can live with, the span you need, the finish you want overhead and how the roof meets the house. Send us the outline of the area to be covered, the wall or walls it touches and photographs of the site, and we will confirm what the structure allows.

SystemMaterialKey figuresIdeal for

SDL AlerioAluminium5–20° monopitch · internal structural members, seamless outside · gutter or concealed drainage · heating, LED lighting, vertical, under-roof or on-roof shadingPatios, restaurants, pool surrounds

SDL AcubisAluminium2° pitch · non-insulated profile system · stand-alone or attached · gutter or concealed drainage · opening, partially closed or closed glass houseGarden rooms, pool surrounds, commercial terraces

SDL Atrium plusAluminiumSpan to 5.72 m · roof depth to 6.37 m · concealed drainage · permanent roof ventilationLarge patios, restaurants, pool surrounds

SDL AuraWood/aluminiumMonopitch or pitched roof · laminated spruce inside, aluminium covers outside in any RAL · softline rafters · surface-mounted spotlight railsPatios, garden rooms, timber homes

Every figure is the manufacturer's published system data, not an estimate. Where a dimension is critical to the structure, we confirm it at survey.

Downloads

Take the details with you

Buyer's guide

The Complete Buyer's Guide: Wintergardens and Glass Canopies

Twelve chapters on choosing between an insulated wintergarden and a non-insulated canopy, surveys, structure and foundations, glass, overheating, ventilation, planning permission and building regulations, and what a complete quotation must include.

Download · PDF · 3.9 MB

Solarlux brochure

Glass canopies — short brochure

The Solarlux glass canopy short brochure: application areas, canopy shapes and roof forms, with the SDL Acubis, Alerio, Atrium plus and Aura systems.

Download · PDF · 1.2 MB

Solarlux brochure

Glass canopies — short brochure (GB edition)

The GB edition of the glass canopy short brochure: the benefits of a premium manufacturer, turning a canopy into a glass house, and the lighting, ventilation, heating and control options.

Download · PDF · 1.5 MB

Why a glass canopy

A roof built like a window, not like a shed

A canopy is a structural glass roof held on aluminium or wood/aluminium rafters, so it behaves like the rest of a Solarlux system: engineered sections, designed drainage and glass specified for the site. Here is what that means over a patio.

Water managed by design

Rain is carried in the profile rather than left to find a way through. Drainage runs through a concealed channel or an exposed gutter where access for cleaning matters more, and the wall joint where the canopy meets the house is a designed detail on every system, including the single-piece joint on the SDL Acubis.

A seamless surface outside

Internal structural members carry the load, which leaves the outer roof surface flat and uninterrupted on the SDL Alerio and SDL Acubis, and makes the underside a clean plane of rafters and glass. The aluminium profiles build unusually delicate structures for their span, so the roof does not dominate the elevation.

Pitches from 2° to 20°

A 2° pitch on the SDL Acubis sits below first-floor sight lines and reads as flat; the SDL Alerio runs a monopitch between 5° and 20°; the SDL Aura is built as a monopitch or a pitched roof on softline rafters. Every canopy is built stand-alone or attached to the building, and all are sized to the actual opening at survey.

Comfort specified up front

Heating, LED lighting, surface-mounted spotlight rails and awnings are chosen with the roof, not after it, permanent roof ventilation is available on the SDL Atrium plus, and shading is available vertically, under the roof or on it. Add vertical glazing in glass panels and the canopy becomes an open, partially closed or fully closed glass house that earns its place well beyond summer.

Where they work

From a family terrace to a restaurant courtyard

Patios and terraces at home

Cover the table, keep the doors and windows clear of the weather, and extend the usable season at both ends of the year. The SDL Aura's timber underside suits homes already carrying timber inside, while the SDL Alerio keeps the view from an upper window unbroken.

Restaurants, cafés and hotels

Covers that let a courtyard trade in the rain, sized around existing openings and services, with lighting integrated into the structure and heating and awnings specified for the seating underneath. Installed on a programme agreed around your trading hours.

Pool surrounds

Glass overhead keeps leaves and rain out of the water and the paving usable, and the canopy can be specified with concealed drainage so nothing runs over the pool edge. Shading beneath the glass is added where the sun would otherwise make the deck too hot.

From open canopy to glass house

The SDL Alerio, SDL Aura and SDL Atrium plus are all suitable for vertical glazing, so an open canopy can be partially or fully enclosed later on the same profile lines. Where the roof itself has to cover a large area without intermediate posts, the SDL Atrium plus reaches up to 5.72 m across and 6.37 m deep, with concealed drainage and permanent roof ventilation.

Recent installations

Glass canopies, photographed over the terraces they cover

Pitches, spans, frames and finishes, from an open canopy over a patio to one closed in with glass, at home, poolside and against the house.

A glass canopy closed in at the rear of a two-storey house at twilight, its roof lights washing the glass above a lit deck

A free-standing glass canopy pavilion on a timber deck beside a lake, wicker lounge furniture inside and a fire bowl burning in front

A dark-framed glass canopy over a swimming pool on a paved terrace beside a white house, with lawns and planting beyond

A glass-enclosed canopy over a dining deck against a red brick house, looking out across the garden pond

A glass canopy attached to a white house with its awning drawn out above a dining table on a timber deck

A lean-to glass canopy on dark posts sheltering a lounge set on a stone terrace beside a white house

A canopy with sliding glass panels over a dining table on a paved patio against a brick house, the garden behind

A glass canopy over a poolside dining table with guests seated, the pool and planting in the foreground

A glass canopy with a retractable side screen above a white dining set on a tiled patio, a flowering shrub beside it

A sloping glass canopy on dark frames over a timber dining table, attached to a house with a pitched roof

How a project runs

Four steps from a patio to a covered terrace

01
Tell us about the area
Send the outline you want covered, the walls or posts available to build from, the height you have and photographs of the site. We reply within 24 hours with the system and the fixing approach that suits it.
02
Survey and design
We measure the site, check the fall for drainage, the wall joint and how the canopy meets the roofline, then issue the layout, specification and a firm quotation covering the fixings and finishes.
03
Manufactured in Germany
Your canopy is made to order by Solarlux in Melle to the surveyed sizes, with the glass build, drainage and profile finish confirmed on the drawings. Your quotation carries the confirmed lead time.
04
Installed by our own team
The team that surveyed the site installs the canopy on it, then returns for aftercare and any shading or heating added later.

Glass canopies

Glass canopies questions

What homeowners ask us most about glass canopies, from pitches and wall fixings to permissions and the difference between a canopy and a glazed room.