Tensile Canopy Structure Manufacturer
Tensile canopies for entrances, drop-offs, walkways, courtyards and forecourts — a tensioned architectural membrane on a galvanised steel frame, shaped to shelter a specific space and shed rain to defined points. Designed, fabricated and installed by Ekra Decor since 1998.
- Entrance, drop-off, walkway & courtyard canopies
- Cantilever, cone and hypar forms
- Self-draining, column-light
- Engineered to IS 875, IS 800 & IS 456
Engineering Trusted by India’s Leading Names
28+ years delivering tensile structures for corporate campuses, industrial groups, and institutional developments — built with fabric technology from the world’s leading membrane manufacturers.
TATA Motors
L&T
Reliance
Adani
Mahindra
Godrej
DLF
ITC Ltd
Maruti Suzuki
GMR Group
JSW Steel
Prestige Group
Sobha
Siemens
Tata Chemicals
Tata Tele Business Services
Power Grid Corporation
Emaar MGF
National Law University Delhi
UPES Dehradun
Vasant Valley School
Aditya Birla Group
Amity University
Vikram Solar
Tractors India
Mazda Colours
Millennium Structurals
Sehwag International School
BSBK Pvt. Ltd.
17 Miles Hotel
Rich Harvest School
The Imperial New Delhi
Moore Constructions
Mehra Construction
Ramprastha
Minda NexGenTech (UNO Minda)
Yashmay Public School
Gyan Mandir Foundation
Omega Developers
SPEC
Serge Ferrari
Mehler
Heytex
Versaid
PATI
Designing a tensile canopy for a building entrance
An entrance canopy does three jobs at once: it keeps rain and sun off the doorway, it signals where the entrance is, and it carries some of the building's character out to the street. A tensile canopy does all three with very little visible structure.
Matching the building
The canopy has to sit with the facade — its height, projection and curvature read against the entrance proportions, the storey lines and the material palette. A shallow, wide sweep suits a horizontal modern facade; a taller cone or peak suits a formal or symmetrical entrance. Ekra Decor works from the architect's elevations so the finished canopy looks designed-in, not added-on.
Wind at the edge of a building
Airflow speeds up and separates around building corners and over parapets, so a canopy fixed to a facade sees more uplift and buffeting than a free-standing one of the same size. The form, the anchorage into the structure and the connection detailing all allow for that — it is the most common thing that is under-designed on cheaper canopies.
Keeping water away from the door
The membrane is shaped so it drains to the sides or the rear, never off the leading edge onto the threshold or the drop-off. Where a gutter is needed it is integrated into the edge beam; otherwise the low points discharge to a planted or drained strip clear of the walking route.
Fixing to the facade
The connection has to transfer load into the building frame (not just the cladding), stay watertight where it penetrates the envelope, and accommodate the small movements between a light steel canopy and a heavier structure. These details are worked out with the building's structural engineer before fabrication.
For bespoke geometry see custom fabric structures; for covered links between buildings see walkway structures. Browse completed canopies or send your entrance drawings.
Tensile canopy forms
A canopy is a tensile roof sized to one space. The form is chosen from the footprint and what has to stay clear beneath it. The building-scale version is a tensile fabric structure.
Cantilever
Supported on one edge, clear on the other — for a drop-off, a walkway or a stand where the far edge must stay open.
Conical peak
The membrane drawn up to a central ring — a distinctive, self-draining canopy over an entrance or a forecourt.
Hypar / saddle
A twisted double-curved surface, efficient over a square bay and striking from the approach.
Barrel vault
A gentle arch over a linear space — a walkway, a run of seating, a market frontage.
Related: walkway canopies, car-park canopies, gazebo canopies and custom fabric structures.
What is specified
There is no single fixed spec — the form, membrane and finish are recommended after the site is reviewed.
| Element | Options |
|---|---|
| Form | Cantilever, conical peak, hypar, or barrel vault |
| Membrane | PVC-coated polyester for most work; PVDF for a longer-lasting finish; PTFE-glass where a fire class or permanence applies |
| Frame | Galvanised steel, painted or stainless-detailed where exposed |
| Coverage | An entrance and drop-off, a walkway, a courtyard, or a forecourt (for fuel stations specifically, see petrol pump forecourt canopies) |
| Drainage | Off the form to defined low points, piped away where the low edge is over a path or a door |
| Foundations | Isolated footings to IS 456, sized for wind uplift |
| Lighting | Fittings on the steel, or uplighting onto the membrane; wiring concealed in the columns |
| Scope | Survey, 3D design, fabrication, installation and tensioning — one in-house team |
General membrane figures — life, translucency, fire class — are manufacturer values for the material type, set out on the membrane materials page.
Membrane options
A canopy is usually PVC or PVDF in a chosen colour; PTFE-glass is used where the structure is permanent or a fire class applies.
PVC-coated polyester
The most economical choice and the widest colour range; blocks the rain, hail and almost all UV. PVC fabric →
PVDF-lacquered PVC
The same base with a tougher top-coat that stays cleaner under dust and pollution. PVDF fabric →
PTFE-coated glass
Non-combustible and near self-cleaning, with the longest service life. PTFE fabric →
A full comparison of the fabrics — translucency, fire class, typical life — is on the membrane materials page.
How it is engineered and built
The governing load
A tensile structure weighs almost nothing, so wind uplift is the governing load, not gravity. The membrane is form-found into double curvature so it stays taut and cannot lift, and the frame and foundations are sized for the site’s design wind pressure under IS 875 Part 3.
Steel & foundations to code
The frame is designed to IS 800 and the footings to IS 456, checked for uplift and overturning. Galvanising to IS 4759 / IS 2629 for corrosion protection.
Built off-site, raised fast
Steel is cut, welded and galvanised in the workshop and the membrane is cut and welded into panels, while the footings are cast on site. On-site work is then quick and low-disruption.
One accountable team
Survey, 3D design, fabrication, installation and tensioning are all Ekra Decor’s own team, with a handover pack of drawings, load report, stability certificate and material certificates.
What drives the cost
Cost is not a fixed rate per square foot — two structures of the same size can differ widely. The main factors:
A small hypar canopy is at the economical end; a tall cone or a deep cantilever costs more. Send your site for a design direction and an itemised quote; see the cost guide.
Looking after the structure
- Cleaning — a periodic wash; PVDF and PTFE surfaces largely self-clean in rain.
- Membrane & seams — check for abrasion, coating wear and seam lifting at the corners and edges.
- Cable tension — a first re-tension after the initial season, then a periodic check.
- Steel & connections — inspect the galvanising and the connections at ground level.
- Drainage — keep the low points, gutters and outlets clear before the monsoon.
Tensile canopies we’ve built
Each project is documented with site photographs and recorded scope on its own page.
Transit · Walkway canopyIGI Airport, Terminal 2New Delhi
Retail · Courtyard roofVasant Square MallVasant Kunj, New Delhi
Public · Courtyard shadeHazratbal DargahSrinagar, J&K
/diu-2200sqm.webp)
Public · Conical pavilionDiu PavilionDiu
Industrial · Cantilever canopyManesar Car ParkingManesar, Haryana
Hospitality · Conical structureBanquet HallIndore, MP
Tensile canopy structure FAQ
The questions people ask before commissioning a tensile canopy.
A tensile roof sized to one space — an entrance, a drop-off, a walkway, a courtyard. A tensioned architectural membrane is stretched over a steel frame and pre-stressed so it stays taut and sheds rain to defined points.
Cantilever (clear on one edge), conical peak, hypar or saddle, and barrel vault. Most canopies combine two — a cantilever built from repeating hypar bays, a barrel vault closed with conical ends.
The coated membrane sheds rain and blocks almost all UV. A canopy is usually open at the sides; where the low edge is over a door or a path, the water is piped away rather than left to drip.
PVC-coated polyester for most projects, PVDF for a longer-lasting finish, PTFE-coated glass where a fire class or a permanent structure is required.
On isolated concrete footings designed to IS 456 and sized for wind uplift, which is the governing case for a light roof.
Yes — a canopy commonly ties back into the building on one side and stands on columns on the other, for example over an entrance or a terrace.
There is no fixed rate. Cost depends on the footprint, the form, the height, the membrane and the wind zone. Send your site for an itemised quote.
Send us the space to cover
You get a form option, a design direction and an itemised quote.
Let’s Build Your Structure
Speak directly with our structural engineering team to discuss your project dimensions, material options, or to schedule a free on-site technical inspection across India.
Direct Phone & WhatsApp Hotlines
+91 98102 37952 (Delhi HQ) / +91 93159 45187 (Bangalore) / +91 82879 92289 (Engineering)
Official Email Address
Delhi Factory & Administrative HQ
No. 367 Badam Singh Market, Rangpuri, Near Shiv Murti, NH-8, New Delhi 110037
Bangalore Regional Office
93/5, Kada Agrahara Village, Dodda Gubbi Post, Bangalore, Karnataka - 560077, India
Chattarpur Office
House No. 488, 3rd Floor, Khasra No. 60, 100 Futa Road, Opposite Delhi Jal Board, Near Diwan Bajaj Showroom, Chattarpur Pahari, New Delhi - 110074, India
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