Solinear has worked on plenty of award-winning projects but we also enjoy seeing other solar shading successes from around the globe that have garnered awards for their design and innovation. These incredible projects showcase the diversity of solar shading and the varying geographical locations and conditions in which the project was undertaken.
Here are the Solinear team’s choice of five award-winning solar shading projects from around the world …
AIA design award for Arizona medical centre’s minimalist brise-soleil
ZGF Architects collaborated with Hensel Phelps Construction to deliver a bespoke 220,000sq ft design-build cancer centre for the University of Arizona. With an ethos focusing on sustainability, the exterior shade system, along with chilled beams – the first to be used in an Arizona healthcare setting – greatly contribute to the facility’s excellent environmental credentials.
The primary intention of the screening system would be to reduce peak mechanical loads in the building.
More than ten variations of the assembly were studied by the architects, who were looking for a configuration that maximizes view whilst reducing glare, serving to appropriately shade the building. Two types of shading panels – one per orientation – were developed in response to solar angles. The repetitive geometry also contributed to a quick construction schedule.
East and west elevations have been clad with a solar shading system composed of repetitive rectangular aluminum composite panels (ACP) perforated with half-inch diameter holes yielding a 40 percent openness aspect and the warm, copper-hued assembly incorporates the coloration of the surrounding landscape. The solar shading system has been set 30 inches from a facade of stucco and curtainwall glazing, allowing ease of maintenance (cleaning and repairs) to the exterior envelope. The panels are directly supported by a tube steel frame suspended from a number of outriggers that cantilever from a robust reinforced concrete roof slab.
The north and south facades feature a curtainwall system with three types of custom louvre designs integrated within, including an impressive series of canted glass fins incorporating a bespoke grey 60 percent frit patterning. The glass louvres denote the central area and the main lobby of the cancer centre, providing a comfortable, low-glare interior environment.
The project received a AIA Healthcare Design Award.
‘Pineapple’ awarded BBSA accolade
Nestled in the middle of an 18th century National Trust walled garden, was a very unusual and unexpected 21st century installation. Shrouded in candyfloss pink solar shading in the shape of an origami pineapple, it was certainly no shrinking violet!
Designed and constructed by Studio Morison for the National Trust’s Berrington Hall, this sculptural external temporary pavilion, officially named ‘Look! Look! Look!’ and unofficially known as the ‘Berrington Pineapple’, became a striking addition to Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown’s walled gardens.
At almost 33 feet in diameter and 20 feet in height, it used over 500m2 of M-Screen 8505 fabric designed and manufactured by Mermet. A combination of 0209 white and mandarin colour pulled together the surrounding brick walls with the idea of a ripening pineapple.
Along with the colour, Mermet fabric proved ideal for the project on several levels including the dimensional stability of the fabric, ensuring that when fixed in position on the skeletal framework it stayed taut and in position. Having the appearance of a solid structure from the outside during daylight hours, yet once inside looking out, the fabric’s transparency was visible allowing a connection to the natural world beyond the structure.
Mermet design and manufacturer high-performance ‘intelligent’ technical fabrics for all types of solar protection blinds. Their role is to provide safety and thermal & optical comfort, alongside optimising energy consumption in buildings.
Look! Look! Look! won a BBSA award for the ‘Most Unusual Use of a Solar Shading Product’
LEAF Award for Innovative solar shading
An incredible open metal shell consisting of thousands of “feathers” frames multi-level panoramic glazing spanning the entire building – a brise soleil solution saving the company money that would otherwise be spent on energy and climate control.
Designed by JSWD Architekten in collaboration with Chaix & Morel et Associés, the Q1 Building in Essen, Germany, forms the heart of the new ThyssenKrupp Quarter and utilises the pre-existing site of an old cast-steel production facility. It consists of 11 floors of flexible space and features intermediate levels and floating bridges. The glazed panels are supported by filigree cable constructions, giving the windows the appearance of being made from a single pane of glass. Because of the large expanse of glazing, a brise soleil solution was required that would not only offer a practical solution to mitigate solar gain but enhance the architecture of this contemporary building whilst allowing uninterrupted views of the surrounding area.
The solution – an efficient and sophisticated solar-shading system created from over 3000 metal “feathers” which rotate to follow the position of the sun, avoiding overheating while still providing views for the occupants and directing natural light into the interior.
Q1 won an Emirates LEAF award for ‘Best Sustainable Technology Incorporated into a Building’
Modern Australian office building honoured with Design and Development award
A new corporate head office for a company with a reputation for quality, innovation and integrity recognised for its sustainable features and aesthetic qualities.
Hidden away in the laneways of South Melbourne Victoria is a contemporary four-storey edifice which houses the corporate head office of Mider – a property development company specialising in high quality, eco-friendly, affordable, owner-occupied properties. The design brief called for a progressive, cutting-edge and environmentally friendly building to reflect Mider’s enduring ethos of commitment to innovation, sustainability and growth.
Sustainability initiatives implemented include the use of natural building materials, an architectural feature solar shading system, recycling of storm water, and the strategic positioning of windows to allow cross ventilation with minimal use of mechanical cooling systems.
Mider’s head office was awarded a City of Port Phillip Design and Development Award for Best Non-Residential Project.
Hertfordshire education centre’s Pagabo Award success
Although this is a Solinear project (and far be it for us to boast about our achievements!), it is worth mentioning as an example of a smaller scale project in comparison to the aforementioned award-winners – that also achieves highly effective results in maintaining a comfortable and sustainable building – reducing energy costs whilst creating a unique and individual façade.
In November 2017, Oaklands College in St Albans, Hertfordshire gained permission for a multi-million-pound redevelopment of its St Albans Campus with a new centralised building providing the community and students with a more energy efficient, state-of-the-art learning facility along with new student accommodation, administration areas, teaching centres, workshops and a sports pavilion. The realisation of DLA Architecture’s excellent vision of the development and facilitated by Willmott Dixon’s construction expertise, the £62m campus regeneration scheme commenced in 2018 and has continued over a period of five years with completion of four phases.
The £13.4 million Evolution Centre – the core learning building on campus with 49 classrooms and support spaces for teaching staff – is the second phase of the redevelopment.
The building was named The Evolution Centre after a consultation with staff and students, to represent the vital role it will have in the development of the staff and students. The new environment will allow teachers to focus on supporting the development of students, through skills, behaviours, confidence building and removing barriers.
Solinear contributed to the sustainable features of the development with a bespoke Solex Halo brise soleil system to the south elevation of the building providing much need solar shading from the full glare of the sun. The aesthetics of the contemporary teaching block were carefully considered with the system finished in RAL 8003 30% gloss PPC finish (clay brown) enhancing the architecture of the building, perfectly complementing and accenting its sleek, black clad façade.
The Evolution Centre at Oaklands College was awarded a ‘Best Project Delivering Sustainability Outcomes’ Pagabo award.
