Which Solar Shading product ticks the most sustainability boxes?
In this day and age, designers are looking to do more than deliver beautiful buildings. They are targeted and judged upon the performance of their buildings more than anything else. In fact, they’re obliged to tick multiple boxes because today’s buildings absolutely have to be sustainable, green, net zero, carbon neutral whatever term you wish to use; a building has to be considerate to the environment, both in its construction and in use, otherwise it’s frowned upon.
Buildings must now have as an absolute minimum:
- Sustainable design with a proper balance of aesthetics, accessibility, cost-effectiveness,
- Energy efficient design and performance
- Reduced greenhouse gas emissions
- Optimal lighting and acoustics
- Thermal and visual comfort
- Superior indoor air quality, based on the specific requirements of the space
- Safety, and security
And there are so many more highly desirable environmental elements that tick boxes too eg. Stopping night sky light pollution
We manufacture a product designed to prevent building overheating for the construction industry that we’re proud to say has always been sustainable and environmentally friendly. Our woven fabric is made from over 90% scrap copper. Everyone’s heard of copper, but do you know where it comes from? You might think it always comes from mining, but as long as you’re sourcing it in a sensible and responsible way (like us), it’s probably the most all-round sustainable material there is to use in construction and even more so, to shade your buildings.
Did you know that 65% of most external shading fabrics end up in specialist landfill site after relatively short typical life-spans of only 0-15 years? Our product not only has a very long-life span (over 65 years and counting) even at the end of its life it’s 100% recyclable.
Strong and durable
Copper/bronze alloys are naturally corrosion resistant, when specially coated with top tested architectural finishes durability is ensured
No maintenance
The coated copper fabric only requires simple pressure washing. There is no maintenance required. It is particularly suited for areas that are difficult or dangerous to access after installation. If you can clean the glazing, you can clean the MicroLouvre® fabric
Lightweight
Extremely light so it can provide savings in supporting structure and materials costs and with its angular selective micro louvres enabling an open area of 80% there is negligible wind resistance or wind loading on the building. You may not think it for the such a lightweight product but it has successfully been tested to withstand hurricane force winds.
Naturally antimicrobial
Copper products are now being incorporated into public facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes because of its health benefits, much publicised following the outbreak of Covid 19.
High thermal absorption and conductivity
It absorbs heat quickly and dissipates and vents heat naturally to the outside
Other superpowers
Copper absorbs radio and magnetic waves so useful for shielding. It also has high electrical conductivity, is ductile, malleable, and solders easily.
In summary, copper is one of the most sustainable materials available. Its durability offers long service with little maintenance. Its high electrical and thermal energy efficiencies reduce the waste of electrical energy. Its antimicrobial properties destroy pathogenic microorganisms that cause disease. And its high scrap value and ability to be continuously recycled without any loss in performance ensure its responsible management as a valuable resource.
And all this before we add the element of design, engineering and physics to the product we create using this ‘superpower’ material. Our woven louvred copper fabric is angular selective meaning it can block heat and solar gains whilst allowing through ventilation and unfiltered light. And because it’s woven micro-fine, it also offers unrestricted outward vision.
Get in touch for a product sample and guidance on calculating a thermal model using our product’s discharge coefficient. Or get in touch to discuss your project’s box ticking requirements.
