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InShade durability: Shade sails resolve unusual issue with solar control film

28/08/2024

Owners of a modern office building were unhappy replacing their externally fixed solar control window film every 3-4 years after Gulls routinely ripped the film causing unsightly damage. Meanwhile, tenants and guests experienced discomfort as the summer sun beamed across open plan floors. tensARC replaced the film with a simple modular sail design using InShade sail blinds for temperature control, visual interest, and soft, diffused natural light year-round. Installation was carried out over 1 weekend, and with a 20 year design life offers a significant return on investment.

InShade’s team engaged with the office building’s owners on site. The field visit included a remote (ground level) survey of the 42m long roof lantern running East to West over open plan floors. Light levels, seasonal requirements, and other elements were reviewed.

The brief was to create an aesthetic roof blind solution that would control the heat gain and maintain natural light levels on overcast days. After the unfortunate experience with solar control window film, the solution also needed to be both cost effective and durable.

Given the modern architecture, the client asked for a solution that is subtle yet visually interesting, while meeting all performance requirements. Layering and overlapping the sails created small gaps for interest. The repeating diamond pattern is attractive and creates variable shade. As light filters through, the variation in shade adds a touch of character to the monochromatic décor. Placing sails between the roof support struts and using magnets to fix the sails to the exposed steel frame made for simple, speedy installation.

InShade engineers, when reviewing sustainable design concepts nearly a decade ago, created a unique textile, ISX, which is exclusive to the company and exceptionally durable. The exceptional performance, reflecting up to 73% of the heat while still allowing 23% light transmission, is perfect for many passive solar control applications. InShade comes with a 10 year warranty and an expected design life of 20 years for most applications.