Retractable louvres: helping commercial buildings make better use of space
For businesses occupying commercial buildings with large areas of glass, it's a challenge to deal with the movement of the sun through the working day. Retractable louvres from Advanced Design Innovations allow businesses to maximise their use of available space, while providing a pleasant working environment for their employees throughout the day.
During the morning, the louvres can be fully retracted, allowing employees to enjoy unobstructed views and abundant natural light. Then in the afternoon, when heat and glare from the sun become an issue, the louvres can be closed and a comfortable working environment maintained.
The inside shots above show how the intensity of the sun changes throughout the day. First image being a morning, and consecutive shots being in the afternoon with the retractable louvres located in different positions.
Why retractable louvres?
Commercial buildings often use internal blinds or curtains to control heat and glare. However, these solutions only reduce radiant heat load in the building by 20%. By stopping heat before it enters the building, retractable louvres reduce heat load by an impressive 100% (Source: Arup Mechanical Services).
Interior curtains or blinds also make it difficult to use all the available interior space in an office - uncomfortable "hot zones" near the windows mean furniture has to be set back. Retractable louvres, on the other hand, allow every square metre of space in an office to be used.
Retractable louvres also make cleaning windows easier. Because the louvres can be “stacked” out of the way, full access is available for window cleaning, apart from the small section behind the stacked louvres.
Cleaning the louvres
The best way to clean the louvres is to open them to the half open position. This leaves a gap big enough to fit a cleaning brush. Both sides of the louvre can be cleaned in this position.
