If we were given a penny each time somebody asks us what the difference between Solar Shading and Brise Soleil was, well we’d have enough pennies to make a life-sized replica of the Eiffel tower! Why the Eiffel tower you ask? Well, the Eiffel tower is French and so is the word Brise Soleil.
What is Brise Soleil?
Brise Soleil is a structure used to protect a building from the sun, usually consisting of horizontal or vertical strips of material
Now time for some translation: Briser in French translates as ‘to break’ and Soleil means ‘sun’, so Brise Soleil in English literally means ‘To Break Sun’
What is Solar Shading?
Solar Shading is a system to control the amount of heat and light from the sun admitted to a building.
So What’s the Difference?
There is no difference between the two, both are physical structures that break up the sun’s rays, controlling heat and light. Yes, one will make you sound very cultured and posh if you get the pronunciation right, but both perform exactly the same function on your building.
Although Brise Soleil & Solar Shading are essentially the same things, it would be a mistake to think that all systems looked alike. They can come in many different materials: Timber, Aluminium, Steel, Fabric, Mesh and now our new Resina product that looks exactly like timber but doesn’t deteriorate or need maintenance like timber does. All of these materials also come in a vast array of colours from natural finishes through to red and yellow and green and blue, and well, any colour of the rainbow you could wish for and more.
The customisation doesn’t end there, you need to think about fixings, do you want your fixings to be visible and stand out or do you want your brise soleil/solar shading system to appear like it’s floating in mid-air with secretly hidden fixings? Then there’s the finish, straight, circular, curved, motorised if you can imagine it, we can create it. Your brise soleil may be the same as your solar shading but the finished product definitely won’t be the same as anything else you’ve ever seen, each building comes alive in a different way when it’s covered in brise soleil/solar shading.
What are the benefits of Brise Soleil?
Why are more and more modern buildings including brise soleil/solar shading in their construction? This isn’t a coincidence, the multiple benefits of brise soleil/solar shading are starting to lead the way:
- Reduced heating & cooling energy bills
- Greener and more sustainable buildings due to reduced energy requirements
- Natural light without the usual issues such as sun glare and overheating
- Reduced heat gain without having to fit internal blinds or coverings, reducing the ‘greenhouse effect’ that highly glazed buildings can create
- Long lasting and cheap to maintain with annual services
To top it all off your brise soleil/solar shading is going to look amazing. So you can be sure, whether you ask us for Brise Soleil or Solar Shading (we like both), you’re definitely going to get a unique, sustainable, functional piece of art, designed and manufactured specifically for your building.
