Shading

When to use a solar shading

Among the architectural trends during the last decades, it is common to make more transparent the building covering.

This concept, though intriguing in the architectural aspect, as characterizing the internal environment and the aesthetics of the building, generates two important considerations.

The first, positive, concerns the gain in terms of natural lighting and heating in the winter; the second, negative, concerns the phenomenon of overheating and glare inside the rooms during the summer.

Regarding the last point, the industry has addressed this issue in a concrete way marketing new types of windows and dimming fabrics.

It should however be stated that, the best solution is to control, directly from outside, the solar access on the glass surface.

This is possible with the use of shading, ie of devices, consisting of a system of strips, which allow to filter and modulate the right amount of light, creating shadow zones on prospectuses.

This factor is used to adjust the temperature and brightness of the internal environment and reach a state of optimal well-being.

There are several companies that offer different systems, and among these are: Naco, Metra, Merlo, etc. ..

Production is divided into more distinguishable solar shading solutions: horizontal, vertical, exterior sliding panels, adaptable to any building.

The slats, connected to the external profiles of support, can be fixed or adjustable with mechanisms that can be manual or electrical, they have profiles of various sizes, while, as regards the materials, they are generally made of aluminum or wood.

In accordance with the current trend towards energy saving in buildings, have also been developed materials and technologies paired with Photovoltaics systems.

These products are able to combine the requirements of regulation of the temperature and brightness with the transformation of sunlight into electricity.

During execution, the use of shading, must take into account two factors: the exposure of the building and the consequent impact on the exterior aesthetic.

To get the maximum benefit you should first check the orientation and the solar incidence on the outer surface of the building.

Subsequently, on the basis of the acquired data, we will use the system (horizontal, vertical, or sliding panels), and the blade (size and material) that best suit our needs and characteristics of the building.

Remains to emphasize the fact that the shading, generating a partial shadow area, may cause a thermal shock due to the temperature difference on the two surfaces.
Also in this case it is appropriate to proceed with a detailed evaluation of the system adopted.

Innovative solar shading systems

We live in an era in which the world of architecture and construction in general must constantly confront the issues of environmental sustainability of materials and production processes and energy conservation applied to buildings of any type and intended use.

Among the typical elements of modern architecture, which are fully included in the systems and technologies for the control of solar contributions, the blinds occupy a special place. From simple elements of screening and protection, the solar shading, in the hands of the best architectural designers, become characterizing components of the architecture itself, able to give formal quality beyond performance.

An interesting system of dimming slabs with many potential uses is Plain Cover, produced by Studio 66, which bases its uniqueness in being able to protect both from the sun and the rain. An innovative and patented system incorporating a special silicone seal on the dimming slabs, allows you to install Plain Cover on structures with a minimum slope of 1% and to ensure a watertight seal even in the event of heavy rains.

For an optimal management, a system of slabs of this type is integrated with a system of control units and sensors connected in an automated manner that manage the movement of the slats, both to better control the amount of sunlight to allow the passage is to close completely the slats in the event of rainfall.

The possibilities of use, in this case, are doubled compared to a traditional system of shading and may suggest designers the creation of hybrid spaces, outdoors but not fully open, that can be pleasantly enjoyed both in summer and in the intermediate periods before and after the summer because it is quickly adaptable to changing of the weather conditions.

In an area of use, traditional and stable, namely that of the shielding systems in support of the glazed facades, is part of the innovative shading ALB sliding, sliding side panel system, which allows the automated handling of the panels and the modification of inclination of the slats in the panels themselves. The possibilities and combinative use of such a system are considerable and allow to give additional value and functionality to the buildings on which they are employed.

The first system is to be proposed which employs panels CTB, special type of solar shading on the particular stability against wind load. The panels are composed of CTB thin strips of anodized aluminum which give considerable transparency and light to interior spaces while ensuring maximum solar shading, all complemented by a drive system of sliding panels absolutely precise and quiet thanks to the timing belt.

Interesting variable is the one that involves the use of panels with photovoltaic modules Shueco Prosol TF since it achieves optimal solar shading, ensuring dimming and control of the excessive intake of light radiation, with the added value of the production of electricity. Further customizations can be obtained by selecting mat panels or depending on the desired degree of transparency, also being able to handle the possibility of vision through the panel. Naturally, the system is manageable in an automated manner with motorized system fitted with a switch of load limitation.

Shading brick

Some of the elements that characterize the traditional rural architecture can be reinterpreted and reused in the context of contemporary residential design. In building suburban landscape of northern Italy, the country homes can become in fact interesting items to be analyzed to provide input to get ideas and inspiration.

A particularly distinguishing feature of this type of recurrent architecture is the presence of such service areas no longer used, such as barns and premises-Dryer.

Both barns that dryers are typically located on the first floor above ground in such a way as to facilitate natural ventilation of the premises and to protect stored materials from the incursions of stray animals.

These rooms were often closed to protect the food supply through ventilating walls made of extruded or cooked bricks simply laid in a staggered manner so as to realize decorative geometric designs.

This tradition is a hallmark of rural homes built during the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century.

The bricks were laid in different patterns and inclinations, edgewise or knife, to form gratings even complex which let through air and light.

These items can be taken up and reinterpreted in the contemporary residential architecture employing full bricks and also drawn terracotta elements industrially manufactured.

They may be only a decorative element, such as protection of parapets and terraces, but they can also be used as a dimming shading for the windows to reduce the direct radiation and the resulting overheating of the interior spaces caused by solar radiation during the summer.

The re-use of traditional linguistic elements which become elements of strong visual and decorative impact as the typical grilled brick, allows in this way to avoid the use of object technology with a more contemporary and contemporary aesthetics, like the modern dimming slats, made in metal , glass, or plastic, that wouldn't integrate well as part of a recovery in residential building of traditional construction.