Prevent Autumn and Winter Sun Glare

As we move into autumn and the sun starts to get lower in the sky, many offices and buildings will still be suffering with excessive heat and glare caused by the autumn and winter sunshine, particularly those which are glass-fronted or have glass roofs or glass features.

This can make for very uncomfortable and unpleasant working conditions for anyone working in these areas, for example the reception staff, and for any visitors to the building.

The answer to this age-old problem can be to introduce some strategically placed fabric shades which will still let sunlight in and still feel light and airy in the area, whilst preventing the actual glare and heat from the sun and making the environment much more pleasant to be in. At the same time, the fabric enhances the look of the building and actually becomes an attractive feature in itself.

For anyone suffering with this problem, Tensile Fabric would start by carrying out a thorough sun-path analysis, creating a 3D model of the space and tracking the sun-path data. This shows exactly how the area is affected as the sun moves throughout the day and over the course of the year and the four seasons. Once we understand the full extent of the problem, we can design the perfect solution to ensure that the low winter sun and the high summer sun would be covered.

We would then select and recommend the perfect interior fabric depending on what look and feel the client is trying to achieve, and design either one or a series of shade sails depending on the requirement, the space and of course the budget.

Once completed the sails can easily fix into the space using a strap clamp detail which requires no drilling. The sails can be simply unclipped for easy cleaning and for the glass behind to be accessed and cleaned.

The images below show a very sunny glass atrium before and after the introduction of some beautiful fabric shades.

Benefits of interior shade sails:

• Reduce sun glare
• Prevent uncomfortable heat
• Create a feature
• Ensure staff and visitors are happy

Get in touch if you need some help with sun glare in your building.

By Abi Smith, 9/9/2019