Category: Construction

The brise soleil, first created by Le Corbusier in first part of the last century, is a pretty 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 broad glass façade, thereby ensuring that temperatures stay within a comfortable range inside. They take various forms and amounts 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 configurations 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 quite interesting approaches. For example, glass louvres can be coated with reflective material or tinted to refract light and decrease 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 made 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 developments 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 has. It is generally also the cheapest option as a result. It can be retro-fitted, although in lots of cases will be part of the design – some of the most well-known buildings in the world use a brise soleil in their make-up. glass louvres and other variations of external louvres (such as aluminium) offer more 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 have 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.

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In modern cities it has become commonplace for many buildings to be presented in long, smooth expanses of glass. They look chic, futuristic and practical, though in many ways they are reminiscent of the designs of early modernist architects such as Le Corbusier, continued in many aspects by the likes of Jean Nouvel and Renzo Piano (the men behind the superbly designed and instantly recognisable Villa Savoye, Centre Pompidou and Institut du Monde Arabe). Certainly, the newest buildings by Nouvel and Piano are well equipped to deal with the changing light that the coming and going of different seasons brings about. In older modernist buildings, however, there is a pervasive tendency for overheating or other temperature control issues to become problematic. In the summer, for example, the sun enters buildings from a much higher angle than it does during the rest of the year. And this means that the building has to either confront the subsequent rise in temperature inside the building or be faced with unhappy residents or workers who are simply too hot for comfort. Brise soleil can be added to buildings to deal very precisely with this problem. Glass louvres and external louvres meanwhile can provide tailored sun shading techniques at the same time as adding aesthetic value to a less attractive building’s façade.

When you think of the positive benefits sun shades can bring to commercial offices, the value of investing in brise soleil will be very apparent. From an external point of view the building should seem sufficiently appealing – that is to say unique, interesting and memorable so that it boosts your brand’s identity – to inspire as many business partners as possible and keep their loyalty many years down the line. From an internal point of view, the focus should be on your workers: a building whose indoor temperature is comfortable is more conducive to high levels of productivity because happy workers are more efficient workers than hot and flustered ones who can’t wait to get on their lunch break or go home to cool down and relax.

Brise soleil will not simply encourage employees to do more work, however; the possibilities are more exciting than than only increasing profits and output. One surprising plus point that sun shading devices bring is in their capability to add aesthetic interest.

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These days, we are always being told about the importance of sustainability.  And rightly so, as making sure 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 interested in how best to maximise the sustainability of their building project.  A small extra detail like external louvres can make a dramatic 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 the sun does, minimising the need for large amounts of electricity.  This has the added advantage of reducing the environmental impact of the building.  In addition, the building is often more pleasant to be in, as ambient 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 building.  Glass louvres, external louvres and solar shading systems lend themselves to bespoke solutions, and architects can work with providers to meet their individual specifications and bring their most ambitious projects to life.  Ensuring a smooth 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 should be at the heart 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 need 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 building is often the way to achieve the best results.

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