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# Fiberglass Colonnades ## Overview A colonnade is a sequence of evenly spaced columns supporting a continuous horizontal entablature, beam, or overhead structure. Colonnades define pathways, frame entries, and create covered pedestrian passages that combine architectural grandeur with practical function. They are among the oldest and most enduring forms in Western architecture — and in fiberglass, they are more practical today than they have ever been. Baldwin Pergolas designs and manufactures custom fiberglass colonnades for institutional, campus, commercial, and high-end residential applications. Our colonnades bring the visual weight and architectural authority of classical stone or wood construction to a material that is engineered for permanence, requires essentially no structural maintenance, and can be installed and owned at a realistic cost. ## Key Concepts - Colonnades are permanent architectural structures — not garden accessories - Can support lattice panels and privacy screening between columns - Sconce lighting and other architectural fixtures attach naturally to fiberglass columns - Can replace a rose arbor or garden arch at a property entrance — permanently and with far greater visual presence - Curved colonnades possible — sweeping plan geometry for pools, courtyards, estate entries - Nine column profile options — square plain to round fluted with capitals and bases - Same pre-cambered beams, CNC precision, and factory finish as all Baldwin pergolas - Electrical integration available throughout — wiring concealed inside structural members - Suitable for Sunrise Senior Living rooftop applications with integrated railings and elopement screens --- ## What Is a Colonnade At its most basic, a colonnade is a row of columns. In practice, a colonnade creates a covered walkway or passage by combining those columns with an overhead structure — beams, a flat entablature, or a rafter pattern — that provides shade and weather protection along the path. Colonnades appear throughout the history of architecture: in ancient Greek and Roman temples, in Renaissance palaces, in Beaux-Arts civic buildings, and in the campus designs of universities built in the classical tradition. Their persistence across centuries reflects a fundamental truth about human experience of space: a covered colonnade walkway feels different from an open path. It has presence, shelter, and the quality of arrival. A Baldwin fiberglass colonnade delivers that same architectural quality — not as a reproduction of historical stonework, but as a genuine structural element built for contemporary permanence. --- ## Applications ### Pool Enclosures and Residential Entries The Olsen project illustrates one of the most compelling residential colonnade applications: a pool requires a fence and gate for safety code compliance. Rather than a standard aluminum fence, the client built brick pedestals to terminate the fence line. The pedestals support a Ba
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