The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2026
Weinor PergoTex II folds an awning into a waterproof roof — Red Dot BoB 2026
A folding pergola-awning that closes the gap between awning and terrace roof: rainproof, wind-stable, with LED spots built into the crossbars.
Weinor GmbH & Co. KG
What it had to solve
Weinor, the Cologne maker that has built sun and weather protection since 1960, saw a gap between two products: awnings shelter from sun but not storms, while fixed terrace roofs turn an open terrace into a permanent structure. PergoTex II aimed to close that gap with a folding pergola-awning that works as a real roof only when needed.
How it works
Weinor has built awnings and weather protection from its Cologne plant since 1960, but its customers faced a choice: an awning that shades yet fails in a downpour, or a fixed terrace roof that turns an open terrace into a permanent structure. PergoTex II was designed to close that gap with a pergola that only becomes a roof when needed.
The result is a motorized folding roof: PVC-coated Pergona fabric with a developed drainage system stops water dripping unpredictably onto the terrace, a robust folding mechanism retracts the roof elegantly at the push of a button, and up to 48 continuously dimmable LED spots hide inside the crossbars. Wind stability to Beaufort 6 and widths up to 7 m — or 14 m as a double row — make it a genuine outdoor room.
In 2026 the Red Dot jury gave PergoTex II Best of the Best, the competition's highest honour, praising a successful formal union of pergola and awning that lets no rain through, stays durable and dirt-repellent, and stands firm in wind.
Why it lands
- It removes the binary choice between flimsy awning and permanent roof — the folding design delivers a real weatherproof ceiling only when weather demands it.
- Hidden mechanics matter: no visible screw fixings and LEDs integrated into the crossbars keep the open terrace feeling open, not engineered.
- Drainage was designed in rather than bolted on, so rain never drips unpredictably onto fabric or seating — the detail that makes the whole concept credible.
- Engineering to Beaufort 6 and the double-row width option turn a garden product into a structural one, which is what the jury singled out.
What it did
The Red Dot jury awarded PergoTex II Best of the Best 2026, its highest distinction in Product Design, praising a successful formal union of pergola and awning that lets no rain through and stays durable, dirt-repellent and wind-stable.
What you can take
Close the gap between two established categories: instead of a better awning, Weinor designed the missing hybrid, then made its mechanics invisible so the product felt like freedom, not shelter.
Since then
Weinor sells PergoTex II only through authorized specialist partners, with a seven-year warranty and optional smart-home control via the Somfy TaHoma system; the pergola sits in the company's range between the Artares louvered roof and the Plaza Viva retractable roof, giving the Cologne manufacturer a waterproof, wind-stable answer to the terrace dilemma.
Sources
- Red Dot Design Award: PergoTex II
- Nature and design: awarded product highlights for the outdoor season
- Weinor Preise 2026: Plaza Viva, PergoTex II und Artares
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