UK Expert Info

The brise soleil, first developed 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 control the amount of sunlight reaching a surface, often a big glass façade, thereby ensuring that temperatures remain within a comfortable range inside. They take various forms and degrees of complexity, with some of the more intricate versions providing aesthetic 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 designs – or other kinds of external louvres.

The huge variety of designs and materials used in the manufacture of louvres can make for some very innovative 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 affected 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 friendly. 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 make for controlling the amount of passive heating a room or face of a building enjoys. It is often 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 famous buildings in the world include a brise soleil in their make-up. Glass louvres and other types 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 option 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 companies 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 usual for many buildings to be covered in long, smooth expanses of glass. They look chic, futuristic and efficient, though in many ways they recall the principles of early modernist architects such as Le Corbusier, continued in many ways 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 most recent 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 intrigue to a less attractive building’s façade.

When you think of the positive benefits sun shades can bring to commercial blocks, the value of investing in brise soleil will be clearly apparent. From an external point of view the building should be sufficiently appealing – that is to say unique, interesting and memorable so that it complements your brand’s identity – to capture as many customers as possible and sustain their loyalty many years down the line. From an internal point of view, the focus should be on your staff: 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 merely encourage employees to do more work, however; the possibilities have a broader reach than only increasing profits and efficiency. One surprising bonus that sun shading solutions bring resides in their capacity to add artistic interest.

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These days, we are increasingly told about the necessity 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 indisposable systems for builders or architects who are considering how best to maximise the sustainability of their building project.  A relatively little 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 major an impact in terms of running costs, as natural systems do, cutting down the need for large amounts of electricity.  This has the added benefit of reducing the environmental impact of the building.  Moreover, 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 real 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 alongside providers to meet their exact specifications and bring their most ambitious projects to life.  Keeping up 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 sizeable 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 just a 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 a little 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.

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