Category: Sun Protection

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Glass louvres, for a green business

The brise soleil, first created by Le Corbusier in first part of the last century, is a fairly simple sun-shading structure that is added to buildings (or else integrated in the initial design and construction). Its purpose is to adjust the amount of sunlight reaching a surface, often a big glass façade, thereby ensuring that temperatures stay within a comfortable range inside. They take various forms and degrees of complexity, with some of the more intricate versions providing visual appeal to a building as well as a useful function. The commonest simple forms are horizontal projections that are attached to the vertical face of a building and prevent some sunlight from hitting the surface. Other similar approaches are glass louvres – with various types of finish and in different formats – or other kinds of external louvres.

The huge variety of designs and materials used in the manufacture of louvres can make for some very interesting approaches. For example, glass louvres can be coated with reflective material or tinted to refract light and lower glare within the building. However, these can also be combined with photovoltaic (PV) cells, a type of solar panel. This means that not only are you not impacted by the unpleasantly high levels of sunlight in the building, but that sunlight is turned into a useful form of energy. This makes the office space more comfortable, and reduces bills – as well as being more environmentally sound. There are therefore a range of reasons to opt for louvres as a climate-control choice. An increasing number of offices are being designed with these in mind from the start.

The brise soleil is the most basic of the choices you can take for controlling the amount of passive heating a room or face of a building enjoys. It is generally also the cheapest option as a result. It can be retro-fitted, although in some cases will be part of the design – some of the most well-known buildings in the world include a brise soleil in their make-up. glass louvres and other variations of external louvres (such as aluminium) offer better flexibility and some truly imaginative design features. They also offer the opportunity to incorporate solar cells into them, allowing you to generate power as well as keep the building cooler. The one you go for will depend on a number of things, including your budget and the size and nature of the space you want to cover. Some firms specialise in fitting louvres to existing buildings, whereas if you are starting from scratch there is more scope for integrating them into the building’s appearance.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

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Are brise soleil the solution to your building issues?

These days, we are increasingly told about the importance of sustainability.  And rightly so, as ensuring that we manage to meet the needs of our generation without compromising those of future generations is the only responsible way to live.  brise soleil and glass louvres are vital systems for builders or architects who are considering how best to maximise the sustainability of their building project.  A small extra detail like external louvres can make a major difference not only to the feel and temperature of a building, but also its value.

Brise soleil and shading systems optimise the flow of heat and light energy to cool buildings in the summer and insulate them in the winter months.  This has as significant an impact in terms of running costs, as natural systems do, minimising the need for large amounts of electricity.  This has the added benefit of reducing the environmental impact of the building.  In addition, the building is often more pleasant to be in, as comfortable temperatures are maintained, there is less glare from the sun and increased privacy.  By making the most of natural daylight, shading systems tend to increase a feeling of well-being within any given building.

These systems can be adapted to the design of any house.  Glass louvres, external louvres and solar shading systems lend themselves to bespoke solutions, and architects can work with providers to meet their exact specifications and bring their most ambitious projects to life.  Ensuring a good working relationship between contractors, designers, system providers and architects is often the best way to ensure the smooth transition of ideas from drawings to site.  There is such a wide range of internal shading systems that is is often worth investing in the consultation process to ensure that you have the best possible sun shading solution for your building.  Innovation and quality define every system, whether it is a simple shading technique or a sophisticated, building-wide solution that reacts automatically to environmental conditions moment by moment.

Whether you know exactly what you want or are slightly unsure about the world of sun shading techniques, an expert is likely to be able to make you think about things you had not even considered, and help you realise the best possible design for your building.  Keeping an open mind as to the best way to incorporate brise soleil, glass louvres or external louvres into your project is often the way to achieve the best results.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

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