12.07.12
A Knowledge Transfer Project involving Alonso Marshall Associates Ltd (AMA) – a Brighton based company providing professional building environmental design services to the construction industry and Scientists from the School of Environment and Technology, was recently awarded to develop company expertise in dynamic shading performance of external blinds for use in the UK. Fixed external shading devices, such as louvers, are widely used to combat solar gains that can lead to excessive overheating but external roller blinds, although commonly used in mainland Europe, are rarities in the UK. External roller blinds are retractable shading devices formed of horizontal slats that roll up into a casing above a window opening. They are a well-developed technology with distinct advantages over fixed external shading devices. Appropriate design and smart control of external roller blinds have the potential to improve the sustainability of buildings and can be used as a low carbon product for the control of solar gains and heat losses. Currently, there is a lack of performance data to demonstrate the environmental benefits of external blinds for climatic control in the UK. This partnership will develop the thermodynamic modelling expertise to evaluate the thermal performance of the external blinds, providing data to demonstrate their impact on indoor environmental quality and energy utilisation.
