Reasons to Consider Shading Earlier in The Project
It’s no secret that shading is usually seen as part of the décor in the construction industry.
Many architects won’t even give blinds or curtains a second thought, instead leaving it up to the interior designer or the fit-out team.
When you specify shading after the construction of a building is complete you can limit the options available to you. Not only do you limit the system you can physically install at the windows, but the integration of the shading with other systems within the building is limited also.
In this blog we’ll cover off the three main reasons to consider shading earlier in the project: the practical element, the ‘Building Envelope’, and the impact of automated shading on occupant wellbeing.
Practicality
The first reason to consider shading earlier in the project is factoring in the control type. To give you the most control options, you should consider making sure there is power to all of the windows. This means that if you decide that you want electric shading in the building, the correct wiring is already in place.
Even if you do decide to use manual blinds and curtains initially, your windows will be future-proofed if you want to upgrade to electric in the future.
Adding power during the initial construction stage is much easier than having to add it in a few years’ time when the building is complete.
There are many reasons to consider using electric shading in your projects, such as user experience, ease of use, integration with other systems and future-proofing. As smart buildings become more and more popular, it’s inevitable that electric shading is going to be expected as standard in large or modern buildings.
For more information on the benefits of electric shading, check out our other blogs here.
Blind concealment is something that must be considered during construction.
Blind concealment profiles, or ‘blind boxes’, are aluminium profiles designed to hide your blind from view when it’s open.
The blind concealment profile is fitted into the ceiling or wall cavity, so when you close the blind, the fabric seems to appear out of nowhere. These profiles can also be used to conceal curtain tracks.
The benefit of using these profiles, instead of just fitting your blind straight into a cavity, is that these boxes have removable panels that fully conceal your blinds yet still give you access to the blind for maintenance or replacement. It also makes installation much easier because the aluminium profile gives you a clean and level recess to fit into.
Blind concealment profiles are becoming more and more popular as the desire for modern and clean-looking shading increases. Hiding the roller, side channels or guidewires when the blind is open leaves you with a completely clear window recess.
Find out more about blind concealment here.
The Building Envelope
According to Sage, a building envelope is the boundary between the interior and the exterior of a building. It is one of the most important components in building design due to its role in the maintenance and protection of a structure.
The envelope includes many components of a building: roof, walls, floors, windows and doors, and quality construction can enhance the architectural design whilst improving the thermal performance of a building.
When you don’t factor in shading to the building envelope, the improvement that dynamic shading can make to energy efficiency isn’t overlooked.
Relying on manual operation of your office blinds to control temperatures or light levels only has very limited effectiveness. In a large office building, staff will close the blind when the glare is too much to cope with, but they will rarely open them again when the glare reduces.
In fact, on average, office blinds are only moved twice a week! And only 12% of people operate their blinds every day.
An automated shading solution is the most effective way to improve light and heat levels in a building as it means the blinds can react and operate in response to sunlight levels and temperature in real-time.
It also eliminates the need for manual operation so you can ensure the office blinds are always in the correct position, even when there’s no one in the office.
When your shades are static, it forces heating and air-conditioning systems to work longer and harder to maintain a consistent internal environment. Designing your shading solution alongside the ‘hard’ elements of the building envelope can also contribute to a LEED score. LEED offer 1 point under ‘Integrative Process’ for achieving synergy across disciplines and building systems, which includes shading with building envelope.
The impact on occupant wellbeing
Shading can also affect the health & well-being rating of a building. Not only is this about ensuring there is enough natural light, which can lead to better sleep, less illness, better mental health, and increased alertness during the workday, but also about reducing glare and heat levels caused by sunlight.
An automated shading solution can also help to improve occupant wellbeing as it will automatically respond to changing temperatures internally and open or close to either let more heat in or keep more out, which will maintain a comfortable internal temperature.
This is especially important for areas such as offices. According to Workspace, ‘If the office is too hot, employees can become agitated and lethargic, affecting peoples’ moods and reducing their focus, leading to a reduction in productivity.
Similarly, being too cold may lead to a sharp decline in employee morale due to frustration’.
Many of the categories that BREEAM assesses can be affected by a building’s shading. BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for master planning projects, infrastructure and buildings.
BREEAM does this through third-party certification of the assessment of an asset’s environmental, social and economic sustainability performance, using standards developed by BRE.
Conclusion
Whilst blinds and curtains do definitely add to the aesthetics and interior design of a space, when done well, they can offer much more value to a project than just decoration.
Intelligently planned, automated shading can contribute to occupant wellbeing, energy efficiency, reduced energy costs, aesthetics and so much more.
Considering shading at the final stages of construction means you will miss out on all of the benefits described above, leaving you with a building that isn’t as well-designed as it could be.
For help on how to specify shading or choosing which shading system will work best for you, get in touch with a member of the Umbra team. Our industry knowledge and nearly 50 years of experience mean we can help you find a solution that will work with your building, as well as for it.