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Architects & Designers have long preferred interior shutters, blinds and curtains to shade rooms from the sun, however this does NOT prevent the internal heat gain and the quest to combat buildings overheating, once the sun hits the glass this is transferred to heat energy inside the building. Having exterior shutters rather than interior shutters prevents the heat from penetrating the glass, rather than reducing the heat once it has entered the property.

Architects & Designers are starting to embrace exterior shading solutions including sliding and folding screens, external motorised roller blinds and brise soleil. These systems are commonplace in mainland Europe. Due to the changing UK weather patterns and the recognition that our climate is warming, the design practices in the UK are now more than ever evaluating and implementing exterior shading systems in the design of new buildings.

One of the many advantages of exterior shading systems is that it reflects and absorbs solar energy outside the building….before it hits the glass. The exterior shading will absorb, reflect and re-emit up to 95% of the total solar radiance while only 5% is admitted into the interior space.

The exterior shading systems provided by Global Shading Solutions, www.globalshadingsolutions.com, can be fully automated allowing the user to control the heat/light at the touch of a button or the systems can be hardwired into a building management/heat control system to operate as required to maintain the interior temperature and heat/cool as is necessary.

Such flexibility is not only cost effective in terms of reducing the heating/cooling energy costs by up to 50% but also in terms of the financial payback on the initial investment through energy cost savings.

We should all be aware of our carbon footprint and exterior shading systems are a simple and effective method of reducing a buildings carbon footprint and as it is estimated that 40% of the world’s energy consumption is attributed to buildings, the eco-logical benefit is huge.

Article written by Stephen Wassenaar 06 June 2018