StruXure Education
Learn the product, the process and the materials before you specify, sell or install a motorized pergola. Built for architects, designers, contractors and future StruXure partners across the Bay Area.
Contact Us to Learn MoreWho StruXure Education Is For
Whether you call them pergolas, shade structures, louvered roofs or patio covers, motorized aluminum systems are a major step up from the wood and canvas covers most people grew up with. Understanding how they are built, controlled and permitted makes you better at recommending them, drawing them and installing them.
StruXure, the manufacturer, trains its national dealer network and the design community around it. StruXure NorCal brings that same education to Northern California, so the people who design and build here can get answers to product, installation and application questions from the team that installs these systems every week.
There is no application and no form to fill out. Tell us who you are and what you want to learn, and we will set up the right session.
Architects & Landscape Architects
Earn AIA or ASLA continuing education credit while learning to specify louvered roof systems with confidence.
Interior & Outdoor Designers
Understand finishes, sizing, lighting and climate options so the pergola fits the design instead of fighting it.
Contractors & Builders
Learn attachment methods, footings, electrical rough-in and sequencing so a StruXure install fits cleanly into your build schedule.
Future Dealers & Partners
Thinking about adding StruXure to your business? Start with the product knowledge, then talk to us about partnership options.
The Course: Automated Exterior Shade and Shelter
A one-hour "lunch and learn" delivered in person at your office or online, followed by a live Q&A. It counts toward AIA and ASLA continuing education and includes sustainable design content.
- Course title
- Automated Exterior Shade and Shelter
- Course number
- AIA 404108459-3 · ASLA assigned per course
- Provider
- StruXure Outdoor, Inc. (delivered locally through StruXure NorCal)
- Topic
- Exterior Improvements
- Format
- Instructor-led, in person or online
- Credit
- 1 Learning Unit, Health Safety Welfare (LU/HSW)
- Sustainable design
- Yes
- Length
- One hour plus live Q&A
What You'll Learn
The course is organized around five areas. Each one is covered in the session and explained in more detail below, so you can come in with questions instead of starting from zero.
Identification
Learn to recognize the different louvered roof designs and the components that make them up: posts, beams, gutters, louvers, motors and the operating system that ties them together. You will also see how the traditional backyard pergola evolved into a system that suits modern, transitional and traditional architecture alike, from a single 12' × 20' zone to multi-zone commercial canopies.
- Pergola X models: Pivot 6, Pivot 6 XL, Pivot 6 Slide, Pivot 6 Max, Pan 6
- Cabana X outdoor room: Core, Core+, MOD
- Attached, freestanding and multi-zone layouts
Construction
See how the components fit together and what an installation actually involves. We cover the basics for both freestanding and attached systems: footing and ledger requirements, how the patented easy-connect beam and gutter system assembles, where power is needed, and how zones connect so lights, fans and speakers can run through a beam chase for a built-in look.
- Freestanding vs. attached: what changes structurally
- Footings, ledgers and deck integration
- Electrical rough-in and sequencing with the rest of the build
Operation
Identify the operating system configurations your clients can choose from: handheld remote, wall-mounted control, smartphone app, voice assistants and whole-home automation. You will also learn how wind, rain and sun sensors trigger the louvers automatically, and how accessories like motorized screens, lighting and heaters are added to the same control platform.
- Remote, wall control, app and voice
- Sensor automation for weather changes
- Screens, lighting, heat and audio on one system
Functionality
This is the Health, Safety and Welfare portion of the course. Learn how motorized shade and shelter give occupants control over sun exposure, glare, heat and rain, and how that translates into outdoor spaces that get used more of the year. We look at louver rotation, the interlocking closed position, drainage, and how the system protects itself in high wind.
- Louvers rotate up to 170° for sun, shade or full closure
- Interlocking louvers and 360° integrated drainage
- Automatic response to rain and wind
Sustainability
Uncover the advantages of the materials and finishes and why they hold up over time. StruXure systems are fully extruded aluminum with stainless steel fasteners and an AAMA 2604 textured powder coat, which means no rot, no termites, no repainting and no fabric to replace. Extending the usable season of an outdoor space also reduces the need to condition indoor square footage for the same activities.
- Extruded aluminum, stainless hardware, powder-coat finish
- Matte white, bronze, charcoal, black and wood-grain, plus custom colors
- Minimal maintenance over the life of the structure
How the System Works
The short version of what every StruXure pergola has in common, so you can explain it to a client before the session or use it as a refresher afterward.
Motorized louvers
Dual-walled aluminum louvers rotate up to 170°, from full sun to full closure, on quiet Somfy motors.
Interlocking drainage
Closed louvers interlock to form rain channels that feed a 360° integrated gutter, with pass-through drainage between zones.
Engineered structure
Fully extruded aluminum with stainless fasteners, engineered for wind and snow loads and ICC certified.
One control platform
The StruXure Bridge unifies louvers, lights, fans, heaters and screens in one app, one remote or one voice command.
Weather sensors
Breeze Pro wind, rain and sun sensors move the louvers automatically based on thresholds the owner sets.
Smart-home ready
Works with Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, Control4, Josh and SmartThings for whole-home integration.
Louvers, gutters and the closed position
The louver profile is the heart of the system. Each louver is a hollow dual-wall extrusion, which keeps it rigid across the span and light enough for the motor to move the full bay smoothly. When closed, the leading edge of one louver nests into the trailing edge of the next, so water runs along the top of the louver instead of through the joint.
That water drops into the perimeter gutter built into the beams, then exits through the posts. On multi-zone canopies, patented pass-through gutters let water travel from one zone to the next, which is why a single downspout location can often serve a large commercial installation.
Read more in our guide to how adjustable louvers work.
Controls your clients will actually use
Most homeowners settle into one or two ways of running the system. The Mate Pro is a 15-channel universal remote that lives on the table under the pergola, so guests can adjust louvers, lights or heat without an app. The Sidekick mounts directly to a post for a permanent, always-visible control. The Bond app adds schedules and scenes from anywhere, and the StruXure Bridge connects all of it to voice assistants and whole-home automation.
Every control talks to the same RF devices, so a client can start with a remote and add the app or a home-automation integration later without changing hardware. See the full breakdown in smart pergola technology: app, sensors and automation.
Codes, Specs and Compliance
StruXure systems are specified under CSI MasterFormat Section 10 73 19, Pergolas and Louvered Structures, and the Pergola X carries ICC certification, which simplifies plan check and permitting compared with field-built or uncertified structures. Spec listings, CAD details and BIM models are available for your drawings; contact us and we will send the current files for your project.
In Northern California the questions we field most are about attached structures, hillside footings, wildland-urban interface zones and HOA design review. StruXure NorCal handles engineering, permitting and inspections in-house for every project we install, and we are happy to walk your team through a specific jurisdiction.
- ICC-certified Pergola X, engineered for wind and snow loads
- CSI Section 10 73 19 spec listing, CAD and BIM files on request
- Pivot 6 MSDS and Pivot Slide ICC documents on request
- Local permitting, engineering and HOA support
Related reading: California pergola permits, HOA rules in the Bay Area, and when a permit is required in Northern California.
Design Resources
Everything you need to present, draw and specify a StruXure system, in one place.
Residential Architectural Binder
Product overviews, details and specs for residential projects, ready to present to clients.
Download ↑Commercial Architectural Guide
Reference material for restaurants, hospitality, multifamily and campus installations.
Download ↑Contractor's Guide
How to add StruXure pergolas to your service offering and what a partnership with us looks like.
Download ↑Pergola X Brochure
Models, louver options, finishes and enhancements for the flagship louvered roof system.
Download ↑Cabana X Brochure
The 10×10 modular outdoor room in Core, Core+ and MOD configurations.
Download ↑Pergola Simulator
Configure a Pergola X in different finishes and settings before the first client meeting.
Open the Simulator ↑Warranty & Guarantee
Coverage details that protect your clients and your reputation on every project.
Read the Warranty ↑Education FAQs
Anyone who wants to understand the product better. Architects and landscape architects can earn AIA or ASLA credit for the accredited course, and we also run product and installation sessions for designers, contractors, builders and prospective dealers. Contact us and tell us who is attending.
There is no form. Contact us with your firm name, roughly how many people will attend, whether you prefer in person or online, and any AIA or ASLA numbers for credit reporting. We will confirm a date and handle the rest.
The lunch and learn is offered as part of StruXure's continuing education program. Contact us with your group size and format preference and we will confirm the details for your session.
Both. The accredited course covers identification, construction, operation, functionality and sustainability. For contractor groups we go deeper on footings, attachment, electrical and scheduling, and can arrange a visit to a completed installation.
Yes. Beyond the course, StruXure NorCal provides design support, 3D renderings, engineering and permitting for projects we install anywhere in our service area. Bring the site and we will walk through it with you.
The Design Resources section above links to our binders, brochures and warranty. For CAD details, BIM models, a project-specific cut sheet or an MSDS, contact us and we will send the current documents.
Serving Architects, Designers and Builders Across the Bay Area
In-person sessions are available throughout our Northern California service area, and online sessions are available anywhere.
Ready to Schedule a Session?
Tell us who is attending and whether you prefer in person or online. We will set up the course, the product training or a project walkthrough, whichever fits your team.
Contact Us to Sign Up