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The house
Saiwan means shade-giver. It is the only brief we have ever worked to.
Where it comes from
The name is Kurdish. It describes the thing that stands between people and the sun — the canopy over a courtyard, the awning over a doorway, the tree in the middle of a square. We build the modern version of that idea, with the materials and engineering it now deserves.
How we work
Every project starts with the space, not the catalogue. Orientation, prevailing wind, the height of the surrounding architecture and the hours the space is actually used all change the answer. We would rather ask six questions than sell the wrong canopy.
The standard
Marine-grade anodised aluminium. Stainless fixings throughout. Solution-dyed acrylic canopies with the colour locked into the fibre rather than printed onto it. Nothing in a Saiwan piece is specified because it was the cheapest thing that would pass.
After delivery
Canopies are replaceable, fixings are serviceable and frames are built to outlast both. A Saiwan piece should be refreshed, not discarded.
Materials & craftsmanship
The standard
- Marine-grade anodised aluminium
- Anodising grows the protective layer out of the metal itself rather than laying paint on top of it. It cannot chip, and it does not lift at an edge after a hot summer.
- Solution-dyed acrylic canopy
- The colour is added while the fibre is still liquid, so it runs through the thread instead of sitting on its surface. Fading is measured in years, not seasons.
- Stainless steel fixings
- Every bolt, pin and cable is stainless throughout — not plated. Plating is the first thing to fail near a pool, and it takes the joint with it.
- FSC teak
- Used where a canopy should read as furniture rather than structure. Left unfinished it silvers evenly; oiled, it holds its honey tone.
Come and specify something
Send a photograph of the space. That is usually all we need to begin.