A few decades ago, custom metal sunshades started consistently showing up in architectural design as a unique approach to a flat wall by adding metal, color, dimension and texture to the exterior of the building. A welcomed byproduct of adding these items to the façade is the perceived benefit of providing a shading element to the building, blocking the sunlight and reducing the solar heat gain thus providing a more comfortable environment for the occupants. However, back then, not knowing exactly how much of an impact they were making to the performance of the building, when a set budget was exceeded and challenged, it was considered low-hanging fruit and an early target during the value engineering process.
Since then, building performance continues to be challenged and held to higher standards than each of the previous years with respect to energy efficiency. Over the same time frame, thermal modeling technology and software has dramatically improved and become more readily available. As a result, the shading coefficient that sunshades provide to the façade are no longer perceived and now is accurately measured. These values have been more and more important to the thermal building performance, making it harder to consider sunshades as an early item to eliminate from the design during value engineering discussions.
Energy efficiency is not a concept that will be going away any time soon. In fact, the demand for continued improvement in a building’s energy efficiency is only expected to grow in the foreseeable future. Sunshades block direct sunlight from getting into the building through windows and doorways. Not only does this make it much easier to regulate the temperature of the building—a big plus for building owners that need to keep tenants comfortable—but also increases the building’s energy efficiency. This results in lower costs in building operation.
While sunshades started out originally as horizontal elements with a few standard shapes, over the years they have developed into these monumental, impressive, custom unique geometric features with almost a limitless opportunity and approach with design. These advancements in design have migrated from a glorified canopy to shading elements that are found in all sorts of applications.
Metal sunshades are found in many facets of the building envelope and are typically grouped together in the following three categories: sunshades (also known as brise-soleil), light shelves and screening.
Light shelves are typically an interior version of the sunshade that helps cast natural light farther into the building, helping reduce the need for artificial lighting, reducing electricity needs and improving the interior environment. By containing a highly reflective surface, light shelves will deflect daylight onto the ceiling of the interior, allowing the light to penetrate further into the building. This provides for a considerably stylish illumination without the use of fluorescents. Furthermore, their overhang design provides shading near windows which, in turn, reduces glare and, as one may expect, also improves energy efficiency.
Finally, metal screening offers security in addition to shading with distinctive styles to choose from. One of the bigger appeals of these systems is the freedom of design they provide. As a result, this not only is found on the exterior of the building façade but have been incorporated into parking garages providing visual and safety protection and still allowing 40% or more free air to move freely through the garage in compliance with building codes. Louvered blades, expanded mesh and architectural grilles can all be utilized to create this screening element.
It’s important to know what’s out there and the benefits these sunshade elements can provide both in terms of visuals and more critically, energy efficiency.
Daniel Shields is the president of Chicago-based Fabricated Products Group (FPG) and has approximately 20 years of industry experience. FPG is a custom fabricator and machine job shop specializing in the design, engineering and manufacturing of premium architectural systems and components. FPG is a subsidiary of MHS Legacy Group, a national holding corporation with roots back to 1895. For more information, email Shields at dshields@fabricatedproductsgroup.com.