ᐅ Shading Solutions for a West-Facing Terrace in Windy Conditions – Recommendations?

Hello,
We bought a house with a 6x4 m (20x13 ft) west-facing terrace about a year ago. Currently, we use an offset patio umbrella for shade, but we are not satisfied. There is no natural shade on the property at the moment, and it is mostly windy.

With two small children, we would like better shading for the terrace. We also enjoy spending time outside in the afternoon.

What would you recommend for a 6x4 m (20x13 ft) west-facing terrace that can also handle some wind?

Best regards,
AS8

Everything you can do on any terrace.
- permanently installed sunshade sail
- suitable umbrella with a concrete-set base
- terrace roof structure customized to your wishes
- pergola/aluminum pavilion

Plants! Plants that block wind and sun through their leaves. Plant several bushes and shrubs on the terrace, about 1.50 - 3.00 meters (5 - 10 feet) tall, which then provide protection where overhead coverage is insufficient. This method has always been used and proven effective; it has only recently fallen out of focus in the case of sterile, highly planned gardens.

Yes, unfortunately our garden was designed to be very sterile. Around the terrace, there are also Jura stones, which I would like to remove to create a green border.

If installing a roof structure, then for a west-facing terrace, a vertical shading solution should also be considered.

ypg schrieb:

Plants! Plants with leaves that block wind and sun. You can plant several bushes and shrubs on the terrace (about 1.50 - 3.00 meters high (5 - 10 feet)) that provide protection where overhead coverage is not sufficient.
This has always been the practice and has proven effective, although it has somewhat fallen out of focus in today’s more sterile garden designs.

The downside is that you lose the view. I personally enjoy being able to look not just at plants, but into the distance from the dining table inside or from the terrace. That’s why I think such a blanket statement is wrong.
When I think of vacations by the sea or even in the mountains, people tend to use glass more often as terrace boundaries and wind protection because of the view—whether as a half-height panel to sit behind or as a full surface.

Pleasant shade is created when you have
a) UV protection
b) evaporative cooling from plants
c) air movement possible

Therefore, a comfortable solution, as already suggested by [USER=12491]@ypg, is to use plants. Planters with large or many leaves help regulate evaporation and, if they are tall, also provide shade. Be sure to consider structural stability due to wind. A cantilever umbrella is generally no worse than a fixed roof. It often has the advantage of allowing more air circulation underneath, but it can be somewhat more cumbersome to handle. I also like triangular shade sails that can be stretched tight.

For a fixed installation, keep in mind that it may reduce the amount of natural light inside the house during winter.