Category: Construction

The damaging effect of the sun has become more and more well-documented, and indeed more pronounced, over recent decades. This is not only for its corrosive effect upon human skin, but upon the planet, as the ozone layer thins and greenhouse gases warm up the atmosphere. Even the less dramatic effects of sunlight, such as damage to fabrics, paints and paper, can be catastrophic in the case of, for instance, valuable works of art. Brise soleil and shading systems such as glass louvres can go a long way towards preserving from such damage. And external louvres do not have to be only practical. Indeed, nowadays all sorts of designs are available, and more and more architects are using louvres not only as extras but as vital parts of a building.

Brise soleil prioritises sustainability by stopping direct sunlight from entering a building. Direct sunlight is the chief cause of heat gain and so money is saved on air conditioning, and discomfort minimised. Natural ventilation becomes a practical option instead. Controlling the flow of heat and light energy keeps buildings comfortably cool in summer. Other advantages include reduced glare and extra privacy. Unlike other designs, which may deal with one or two of these issues but not all, brise soleil forms a total solution to light prevention.

Glass louvres are a highly aesthetic alternative with great environmental advantages and can be engineered to fit a vast range of requirements. With glass louvres, your brise soleil can be tailor-cut, etched, silk-screened, coated or coloured to your precise specifications. Whether your building is new or being refurbished, the flexibility is on offer to fit louvres in a number of ways, including fixed or motorised positions.

For highly tough shading, external louvres made from aluminium and stainless steel can take high winds and snow loads. Various fixings and colour coatings are again available to blend these louvres in with their environment. These lightweight frames which minimise vibration can improve the façade of any commercial or public building.

Installing brise soleil in the form of glass louvres or external louvres is the perfect solution to ensure the longevity of materials, and can visibly reduce running costs. What is more, technology is now being developed to install PV solar cells within louvres and not only save energy but create it too. Shading systems are the only choice for environmentally conscientious architecture.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

4f31333f8d1fd

Do you know your brise soleil from your glass louvres?  If you are dealing with an architectural project, the first thing you might need to do is to make sure you understand the key terms that are often thrown around.  Beneath the technical language often lie a few easy concepts that, once explained, are really quite straightforward and could be very useful for your project.  If you would like to be confident when talking to an architect about external louvres, this article should be of some help.

The phrase ‘brise soleil’ is from the French, meaning ‘sun breaker’.  The term refers to a variety of permanent sun-shading techniques, and the beauty of the technique is the range of architectural strategies that come under this umbrella – from the basic patterned walls used by Le Corbusier to the vast mechanical, pattern-creating devices of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris.  In its classic form, this sun breaker is basically a horizontal projection extending from the sun-side façade of a building.  Façades with a large amount of glass can be in danger of overheating during the summer, and fitting a brise-soleil is a very effective way of stopping this from happening.  The structure can be further tailored by incorporating louvres, which prevent high angle summer sun falling on the façade, and allow low-angle winter sun to provide passive solar heating.

Glass is one of the most useful and multifunctional building products there is.  It can be used for many purposes, from creating striking glass façades to elegant internal screen solutions.  Glass louvres are used to control solar heat gain within buildings, and have traditionally been tinted to create the desired effect.  More elaborate finishes are available, too.  Ceramic frits, for example, involve baking a type of paint onto the glass.  These type of finishes create a more exciting appearance while reflecting the sun’s heat and helping to maintain a comfortable interior temperature.  These days, glass louvres are taking on a more active role in buildings than ever before, with light redirection and photovoltaic systems allowing for various different functions.  These louvres can offer building owners and specifiers realistic solutions in terms of creating environmentally friendly buildings by minimising the need for air conditioning while providing renewable energy sources as well as shading.

Basic external louvres, on the other hand, are usually mounted in the vertical, with a row of horizontal blades shaped and positioned to minimise the ingress of water.  With relatively simple functions such as providing shade from the sun, the brise soleil, glass louvres and the like should not provoke confusion.  Once you know what they are and how they work, it should be fairly simple to assess which solution would be right for your project.

Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

4da82974b9346

When it comes to contracting high-quality work on property in north London, it can often be difficult to decide whose work is of the best quality. The right approach, if you have the time, is to contact various north London builders and ask to see a portfolio of their work. There is a wide array of chelsea builders, Hampstead builders, and builders who perform their work in other nearby London boroughs, and building contractors are not the sort of thing you should choose at random.

A certain amount of investigation into construction firms is necessary. For instance, make sure that all of the Chelsea builders that make it to your eventual shortlist are members of a professional trade association. Those with nothing to hide will be happy to point you in the direction of the association so that you can check independently of them that their membership is genuine. It is a good idea to get quotes from several different builders, and a particularly high or low quote will be conspicuous compared with the average. Don’t forget: if a quote looks too good to be true, it probably is! Once you have narrowed down your list of options, you should have a thorough look at their previous work. Not just glancing at the contractor’s own photos, but, if possible, visiting the projects, and acquiring information relating to the time scale the projects were completed in relative to their initial expectations. The same applies to the budgets of the previous clients. This is not always possible, but it is ideal if it is: you might even be able to speak to the contractor’s previous client, and get testimony directly from them.

Before you choose a builder, be sure to know with precision the specifics of your requirements. This should involve research into any building regulations and restrictions that might affect the project. The more research you are able to do into the details of your project, the more likely it is that misunderstandings will be avoided: many a relationship between builder and client has broken down due to lack of communication. The closer you are able to work with your contractor at the planning stage, the better, as it can lead to a precise understanding about specific responsibilities of both parties.
So, if you are looking for north London builders, chelsea builders or Hampstead builders to carry out a project, perhaps the most important thing is to be patient. Before your project takes off there will inevitably be a lot of ground work to get through.

Please visit http://www.artisanlondon.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.artisanlondon.com/

4c85eb569ed79