Neil Gordon

Looking through any binder of solar shade fabric cards can make selecting the perfect fabric for a project a daunting task.  There are so many things to consider such as the openness of the weave, the color, the content and the fabric width. These choices are all dependent on the purpose of the fabric and where it’s being installed. Is the fabric for an interior or exterior application? Which orientation are the windows facing? Is the shade fabric to help reduce glare or solar heat gain or both? Is there a specific color range you must use? 

Reading the Card
Every solar shade fabric manufacturer publishes a fabric card that shows on the front side an actual neilple of the fabric along with the various color choices. However, the back of the card is where the performance of the fabric is documented.The data above is for a 105” wide fabric with 14% openness, suitable for either interior or exterior applications. The fabrics are listed with the lightest color first XT-3701 (white) and the darkest color last XT-3706 (black).

Vancouver, British Columbia was the home for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Olympic Athletes’ Village, developed by Millennium Properties is Canada’s first truly sustainable community. The Olympic Village project is an example of how a contaminated industrial City center site can be transformed into a sustainable community.

The hidden benefits of comfort:  An interview with Architect Stephen Selkowitz

Selkowitz is the group leader of the Windows and Envelope Materials Group for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Berkeley Lab is a member of the national laboratory system supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and is managed by the University of California. Stephen is an internationally recognized expert on window technologies, façade systems, and daylighting.

As the general manager of Model System Italia, an Italian fabricator of engneered shading systems, Renato Borsato is an ideal resource for detailed information on the state of the industry.

Neil Gordon: What is the history of Model System? 

Renato Borsato: Model System is a multi-generational family business, founded in 1964 by my father, Egidio Borsato, and my uncle, Leopoldo Borsato. My father has since passed away, but my uncle still heads our company. My brother Stefano is the engineering manager, and Leopoldo’s two sons, Flavio and Roberto, are very involved in the business. Flavio is the production manager, and Roberto is the manager of domestic markets. 

This summer I had the unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at an amazing engineered shading solution, customized by the renowned architect Renzo Piano. The project was a multi-purpose complex featuring the MuSe Museum of Science along with condominiums, offices and retail in Trento, Italy.

All of the shades for the complex were designed by Renzo Piano and manufactured and installed by Model System Italia. Model System has unique capabilities to create custom solutions that we typically do not see in the U.S. The European market demands dynamic products to conserve energy, and what I saw truly epitomized engineered shading solutions.

My host was Renato Borsato, salesmanager and director of Model System Italia, who walked me through all the various creative applications Piano had requested for the project, based on the company’s FM41 and FM51 shades.

The concept of the “third skin” is critical to our survival. Human skin is the first skin, our clothing is our second skin and our buildings are the third skin. By labeling our buildings as such it further describes the intimate relationship between humans and their living space. 

Today, the concept of the third skin has evolved into the popular designation of the “dynamic façade.” The dynamic façade is the filter between the indoor and outdoor environments that provides protection from the elements, an exchange of ventilated fresh air, sufficient natural daylight, and a connection with the outdoors.
The intention of today’s building skin is to create a place for the occupants to live, work or learn in comfort alongwith a visual connection to the outside world. The dynamic façade is designed to filter and manipulate sunlight, regulate heat exchanges, provide ventilation and reduce energy costs.

Integrating window coverings into the overall plan for building designs has become an important consideration for architects, as aim for more hospitable, efficient environments. Window coverings are no longer an afterthought, but instead considered a building system just like HVAC and lighting systems.

This approach, called engineered shading solutions, considers well thought out window treatments as more then just a quick fix. In order to successfully control solar heat gain, glare caused by daylighting or levels of light into a space, architects know engineered shading solutions are a key part of the “dynamic facade” approach. A sustainable system of interior and exterior window coverings which engage the latest technologies can successfully achieve results in providing for the health, safety and welfare for the a building’s occupants.

Sustainable Design 
According to American Institue of Architechts (AIA), “sustainable design is a collaborative process that involves thinking ecologically—studying systems, relationships and interactions in order to design in ways that remove rather than contribute stress from systems”. For example, there are countless situations of where poorly designed window coverings actually add stress to systems, such as floor-length draperies that block heating units, trapping the warm air. However, when done correctly, engineered shading solutions will successfully reduce stress from building systems. For a great example see this issue’s interview with architect 

Dear Window Covering Friends 

Great article below on how Federico Babina finds his inspriration. We hope you find it as inspiring as we did.

In his latest series, ARCHIWINDOW, Federico Babina draws some inspiration perhaps from the headline exhibition the Venice Biennale, investigating some of the most famous window designs architecture has to offer. Babina simply says it is ”a little reflection about architecture and the elements that compose it.”