The art of shade: discover the sleek, architectural awning system transforming Australian homes

25 June 2024

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Clunky, unattractive awnings are a thing of the past, thanks to the innovative team at Heka Hoods. Working out of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Heka Hoods have pioneered the world’s first one-piece awning system — and it’s beautiful.

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Materials & Craft Building & Renovating Aluminium Heka Hoods

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Heka Hoods

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Amber Suckling

Designed in response to the need for a slim, elegant aluminium awning system that doesn’t require brackets or additional support structures, Heka Hoods is a true representation of Australian innovation. After extensive research, prototypes, strength testing, and engineering, the Sunshine Coast-based team arrived at the intuitively simple Heka Hoods design — a world-first design that has now taken on two further iterations to complete a three-series range.

“Heka Hoods is a fully resolved, engineered sun hood made from aluminium,” says Scout Hinchliffe, Heka Hoods Innovation and Product Manager. “The minimalist design includes a patented joining system, which allows for seamless continuous connections. You can create almost any shape for any application — from a single hood over a window or door to a continuous awning around the building’s façade. We want to empower our clients to embrace their architectural vision while protecting their home from the elements.”

Heka Hoods is the world's first one-piece awning system, designed and manufactured in Australia.

The Heka Hoods range

Pioneering the first one-piece awning system in Australia and internationally, Heka Hoods launched in 2016 with their Core Series hoods. The Core Series features the brand’s most popular hood depths — 300mm, 450mm, and 600mm — though smaller depths can be made to suit the client’s specifications.

“The Core Series is our most popular due to its suitability for the majority of Australia’s wind loads. For areas with higher wind loads, our High Wind series features the same three depths but with fixing specifications that have been resolved to withstand significant wind forces,” Hinchliffe explains.

For those familiar with Australia’s wind pressure zones, the High Wind series is designed for C1 and C2 regions, with a limited range of sizes available for N4 and N5 sites. Though these hoods require more strength to withstand high winds, they remain strut-free with the Heka Hoods signature slimline style.

With depths of 750mm and 900mm, the Extend Series offers a larger hood span with the same uninterrupted, minimalist lines as the smaller hoods. Due to size and weight restrictions, these hoods are best suited for low-wind regions.

“All of our hoods arrive on site as a powder coated finished product ready for quick and easy installation. There’s no need for brackets, FC sheeting, painting, or cranes, thanks to our modular system.”

The Core Series HH450 creates a box around the windows of this home, enhancing the façade in a creative and dramatic way.

Hood inspiration from homes across Australia

More than just a functional product offering shade and protection from the elements, the hood’s minimalist design also lends itself to creative architectural applications.

Known as the ‘Floating Gables’, a bold, box-like construction of the Core Series HH450 (450mm depth) hood was applied around a window on the façade of this home designed by Lume Architecture and built by Lume Projects. The hood was powder coated in Dulux Monument Satin to suit the home’s exterior colour palette. Enhancing the building’s façade in a creative and dramatic way, this approach shows the versatility of the product as an architectural medium.

The hood on this beach house runs the length of this home for both practical and aesthetic purposes.

Hoods HH450 and HH900 in Zeus Silver Grey Matt were chosen to augment the passive heating and cooling of the home.

With both aesthetic and functional purposes, the hood on this beach house on the cliffs above Woolgoolga Beach runs the length of the home. Designed by Levesque & Derrick Architects, the home was fitted with hoods HH450 and HH900 in Zeus Silver Grey Matt to augment the passive heating and cooling of the home.

From windows and doors to balconies and more creative applications, the Heka Hoods range can be used to create even the wildest of architectural visions while providing effective protection from the elements.

“Heka Hoods are great to install, very user-friendly, and stay nice and straight. The ordering process and shop drawings are also very professional,” says one happy Heka Hoods customer.

Heka Hoods are suitable for residential, industrial, and commercial buildings, and can be customised to fit the requirements of any project. Thanks to Heka Hoods’ innovative approach, architects no longer have to give up their aesthetic vision to accommodate practicality. With their elegant, slimline form, the hoods look right at home on stunning architectural masterpieces the world over.

Learn more about Heka Hoods.