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An arcade or a colonnade turns a façade into a covered walk. Decorative Architectural Shapes makes arcade and colonnade systems for arcade architecture, with columns, arches, capitals, bases and entablatures, for hotels, retail streets, courtyards and entrances.

Arcade or colonnade

An arcade is a row of arches carried on columns or piers, and a colonnade is a row of columns that carry a horizontal beam or entablature. In both cases the repeated rhythm shelters a walkway, defines a courtyard and gives a building a strong classical base. Arcade meaning is simple: arches on supports. A colonnade is the straight-lined version, and the two are often combined along a long façade.

Foam systems

Each element is CNC-cut from high-density EPS and covered with a polyurea hard coat. Columns, arches, keystones, capitals and bases are produced to one design, so a long run keeps the same proportion from the first bay to the last. The coating resists moisture, UV and cracking, and the light weight makes the work faster than stone, precast or plaster. The system is an architectural cladding. Structure, loads and foundations follow your engineer's design, and the foam elements are fixed to that structure.

Where they are used

Hotel entrances, shopping streets, courtyards, covered patios, mixed-use buildings and residential estates. Matching cornices, balustrades and arches can be supplied for the same project.

Proportion is the key to a convincing arcade. The width of the arch, the diameter of the column and the height of the entablature follow classical ratios, and small errors show quickly in a long row. We work from your bay dimensions to set these ratios, then produce every element from the same file. Corner bays, returns and end details can be included so the system looks complete at both ends.

Arcade architecture has a long history, from the Roman arcade to the gothic arcade, and today it appears in modern arcade architecture on hotels and shopping streets. A building arcade shelters the walkway along an arcade exterior, while a colonnade entrance gives a grand approach to a lobby or a courtyard.

Ordering

Send the bay width, the height, the number of bays and the style you prefer. We prepare a drawing, produce the elements and ship them with installation guidance. Our products carry a 20-year warranty.

How it works

1. Brief: send bay width, height, number of bays and photos.
2. Design: we draw the arcade or colonnade and confirm proportions.
3. Production: CNC cutting and polyurea coating.
4. Delivery: elements ship with installation guidance.

Request a free quote or open the catalog to choose arcade and colonnade elements.