Outdoor awnings finally getting the attention they deserve

In recent years we have noticed that energy-efficient building leads to overheating and heat stress in summer. Reason for the government to create an additional requirement to keep living and working spaces comfortable and healthy in the summer. With this so-called TOjuli requirement, outdoor shading is finally getting the attention it deserves. The Solidscreen line from the AVZ Group is the perfect solution for this.

Increasingly stringent insulation requirements combined with the ever-popular large areas of glass in today's architecture present challenges when it comes to keeping the indoor climate comfortable during the summer months. Buildings are heating up more and more, with all the consequences that entails. This is why the TOjuli requirement was created, so that attention is already paid to pleasant living and working comfort in summer in the design. There are several ways to achieve a low TOjuli requirement, both passive and active measures. Outdoor shading is crucial in this and also the most sustainable method of preventing too much heat from entering the building.

Architecturally beautiful image

Thanks to the new regulations and requirements, architects are finally being forced to think about exterior shading, begins Lucas Stevens, product manager of the screen portfolio at AVZ-Group. "Usually people only find out that solar shading is required after a building has already been in use for a year. Then it is more difficult and often less attractive to integrate exterior blinds than when you include blinds in the design right from the start. This is where our SolidScreen line offers a nice solution. Thanks to the zipper-guided fabric, a SolidScreen is completely sealed in the closed position. In combination with the vertical placement, the glass surface is completely covered. Obstructive light and heat are effectively blocked out, saving up to 30% of energy. A new addition to our line is the SolidScreen CW50, specially developed for curtain walling. With a face width of only 50 millimeters (for a double guide), the size is exactly matched to that of the curtain wall profiles. The guides therefore disappear, as it were, into the façade surface. Our R&D department is also able to think along in a customized solution for an aesthetically pleasing end result." 

Proven quality

Demand for the SolidScreen line has grown substantially since 2008, Stevens says. "The screens have been extensively tested on many facets, are weather resistant, wind resistant and easy to install, as is the SolidScreen Solar, a new product in our line that features a solar panel. This screen has a cabinet-mounted solar panel that converts sunlight into solar energy and then stores it in the battery. This covers 100% of the motor's energy supply. There are no extra power costs, no extra wiring and no wall penetration. Naturally, in the SolidScreen line we offer a wide choice of fabric types produced by Hylas, also part of the AVZ Group. Using the ProSelector on the Hylas website, one can view the various options in fabrics. In doing so, Hylas lists all the values of the cloths, for example the Glare Control and G total values."

According to Stevens, AVZ-Group is the only supplier with a DUBO seal on its SolidScreen portfolio. "This demonstrates by an independent institute that our products are the most sustainable choice. In addition, we are in the process of having our screens included in the National Environmental Database." The SolidScreen line is a sustainable choice in every way. "In combination with intelligent control, one is always guaranteed the most optimal indoor climate," concludes Stevens.