Carport

**Historical Background of Carports**:
– The term ‘carport’ originated from the French term ‘porte-cochère’.
– Coined by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1936 for the house of Herbert Jacobs.
– Prairie School architects like Walter Burley Griffin used carports in the early 1900s.
– Linked to 1930s Streamline Moderne residences.
– The W. B. Sloane House in Illinois is credited as the first home with a carport.

**Solar Canopies**:
– Solar canopies elevate photovoltaic panels above ground level.
– Often built over parking lots.
– Generate renewable power and protect cars from sun, rain, and snow.
– Covered area under solar canopy can be used for other purposes.
– Example of solar canopy at a high school parking lot.

**Carports in Japan**:
– Offer limited protection to vehicles from rain and snow.
– Can be free-standing or attached to a wall.
– Typically have one or two walls, providing less protection than garages but more ventilation.
– Prevent frost on the windshield.

**Mobile and Enclosed Carports**:
– Mobile carports can be removed or relocated.
– Typically framed with tubular steel and canvas or vinyl covering.
– May have an accessible front entry or open entryway.
– Differentiated from tents by the main purpose of sheltering vehicles.
– Used to house vehicles and motorized equipment.

**References**:
– Look up ‘carport’ in Wiktionary.
– Wikimedia Commons has media related to carports.
– Source on why car windshields don’t frost over in carports.
– Frank Lloyd Wright’s Jacobs House 1936 reference.
– Carport Integrity Policy from Arizona State Historic Preservation Office.

Carport (Wikipedia)

A carport is a covered structure used to offer limited protection to vehicles, primarily cars, from rain and snow. The structure can either be free standing or attached to a wall. Unlike most structures, a carport does not have four walls, and usually has one or two. Carports offer less protection than garages but allow for more ventilation. In particular, a carport prevents frost on the windshield. A "mobile" and/or "enclosed" carport has the same purpose as a standard carport. However, it may be removed/relocated and is typically framed with tubular steel and may have canvas or vinyl type covering which encloses the complete frame, including walls. It may have an accessible front entry or open entryway not typically attached to any structure or fastened in place by permanent means put held in place by stakes. It is differentiated from a tent by its main purpose: to house vehicles and/or motorized equipment (a tent is to shelter people).

Carport in front of garages
One example of the many common types of modern carports sold on the market. This particular one is a stand-alone model.
Carport in Japan

Definition from ChatGPT:

Carport:

A carport is a covered structure used to provide limited protection to vehicles, primarily cars, from the elements. It typically consists of a roof supported by posts and may have one or more walls. Carports are often open on at least one or two sides, allowing for easy access to the vehicle.