Why don't we use awnings anymore (2022)

I might just be unusually sensitive to this, but there is a downside to awnings that hardly ever gets mentioned. Yes, an awning keeps your house cooler by blocking sunlight, but it also blocks sunlight, reducing the natural light inside your house. This means you either sit in the dark or use more artificial light, which is fine except natural sunlight is (for me at least) very beneficial for mood and for maintaining the circadian rhythm.

I know lots of people who don't mind living in darkness or seem to have a personal vendetta against the sun, and maybe those people would be genuinely better off with awnings, but I don't think they're for me.

I'm surprised I had to scroll down this far to find this -- yes exactly! They block the light, they block the sky, they block the view.

Back in the day, windows were small and there were awnings and interiors were dark. Often made even darker with dark wood, dark colors, etc. It could be downright gloomy.

Then a kind of aesthetic revolution happened where windows got bigger, walls got white, awnings went away -- and it's all so much brighter and joyous.

And if your windows let in too much heat in the summer so you have to run your AC more, it can be counterbalanced in the winter when you can run the heat a lot less during sunny days.

I think the reason this doesn’t get mentioned so much, is because the sun is absurdly bright during the day. I imagine a well designed awning doesn’t affect the light levels of your home to any perceptible degree.

In my experience that’s true anyway.

There is plenty of light being reflected off of nearby surfaces to still brighten up a house with an awning. They’re mostly for reducing direct, intense sunlight.

Plus, if it bothers you that much, there are awnings that retract or fold away.

> the sun is absurdly bright during the day.

Yes, this is what makes it so hard to replace with artificial lighting! I enjoy that absurdly bright sunlight. My house has extra windows over most of my windows and these specifically allow that sunlight in to add ambient lighting. During daytime most of my house is fully illuminated even with the lights off and blinds drawn because of these upper windows. You might describe what I have as the exact opposite of an awning and it’s one of my favorite features.

This is the main reason I went for screens, which are a fine mesh fabric that cover the whole window, but you can still see outside - over shutters, which are double layer aluminium whatsits that really keep anything and anyone out. I mean it still gets pretty dark in the house with them closed, but in the hottest days of the summer, dark means cool and cool is good.

That might be a factor for some people but it seems like american society doesn't value natural light. I remember in college visiting a ton of peoples dorms and apartments and most people would either have purpose built blackout curtains or just nail an old towel over the window. Pretty common to see windows blocked up like this around town when you start looking for it. No clue who these troglodytes are but there are many of them.

> That might be a factor for some people but it seems like american society doesn't value natural light.

This seems puzzling to me.

Large windows are a staple of every luxury new build. Floor to ceiling windows are a status symbol.

Because its advertisement. It looks good in renderings and is a differentiator for why you should move into this expensive luxury apartment vs a normal one. When you look at the apartments with these people are covering the windows with blinds. Look at this streetview image of this relatively new apartment with floor to cieling windows (I picked the side with the most floor to cieling windows; 1). Hardly any furniture on the balconies, one person is using it for bike storage alone. Everyone has their blinds up. Clearly no one values natural light or even their balcony space very much.

And it makes sense when you consider the pattern of American life: go to work in the morning at the crack of dawn, come back home when the sun is setting. Now its nighttime and you are inside with the lights on, you need blinds over that window unless you want to give your neighbors a show.

1. https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0610614,-118.2858175,3a,87.2...

I think it's a big jump to conclusions to assume this much out the behaviors of such a large group.

These behaviors don't describe how I live with my floor to ceiling windows at all.

My shades close in the morning to block the low sun, and they open during the day and night unless I have some other reason to close them.

It would be difficult or a distant view for someone from the street or a neighbor to see in, and even if people look in, my street-facing windows aren't in any bedrooms or private areas.