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A sunroom (also solarium, garden room, and other variations) is a structure, either attached or integrated into a building such as a home, restaurant, or office, which allows enjoyment of the surrounding landscape while being sheltered from adverse weather.
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Also known as a sun parlor, sun porch, patio room, Florida room, garden conservatory, or winter garden, such rooms are popular in the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. A portico is also sometimes called a porch.
In Great Britain, with its long history of formal conservatories, small scale "sunrooms" are also sometimes known by that term.
Sunrooms are used in passive solar building design as a technique for heating and lighting structures.
Design
A sunroom may be a room in a building specifically tailored to that function (with many windows and appropriate climate control), a connected structure erected during new construction, or one added some time afterwards. Attached sunrooms are typically constructed of transparent tempered glazing atop a brick or wood "knee wall", or framed entirely of wood, aluminum, or PVC and glazed on all sides. For privacy, frosted glass or breeze block is used.
Some sunrooms are designed to exploit a scenic view, others to collect sunlight for warmth and light. These, composed entirely of framed glass and usually called solariums, are typically found in high latitude (low sun angle) or cold (high altitude) locations.
Technologies
During the 1960s, professional re-modelling companies developed affordable systems to enclose a patio or deck, offering design, installation, and full service warranties. Patio rooms featured lightweight, engineered roof panels, single pane glass, and aluminium construction.
As technology advanced, insulated glass, vinyl and vinyl-wood composite framework appeared. More recently, specialized blinds and curtains were developed, many electrically operated by remote control. Specialized floorings, including radiant heat, have also been adapted to both attached and integrated sunrooms.