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Architect's Corner

The Alkenz SUNSHADOW® products are all certified by the GREENGUARD® institute. The SUNSHADOW® products are safe for human environments and are the ideal product for daylight management in any structure. The high cost of energy is now making all industries re-think the construction of buildings that will offer the lowest possible energy use for its owners and yet provide a safe and efficient space for the occupants.

 
     

Daylight management is a tremendous tool for implementing comfort, savings, and uniformity in the heating and cooling of any structure. The ability to automate internal lighting with shading products on the windows provide a building management system that will advocate tremendous efficiency in the buildings energy use.

For more information on the ability of automated roller shades and software programs from a variety of Alkenz USA fabricators please contact us directly at customerservice@alkenzusa.com or at our toll free number 1-877-630-0800.

How to pick a solar screen fabric based on this rule of thumb:
• The lighter of the fabric the better for reflecting heat
• The darker the fabric the better for glare control
• The best approach for this formula is having the fabricator of the window shade select the right fabric on the actual jobsite.

HOW DOES A SOLAR SCREEN WORK

The fenestration property chart is a compilation of different properties derived in percentages that are based on the openness factor and fabric color.To calculate the effectiveness of each style and color you must take the solar transmittance, solar reflection and solar absorption of each fabric to obtain the shading coefficient of each fabric. The shading coefficient of the fabric will assist engineers in deriving the best fabric for each glazing application and will provide the best solar protection along with glare control.The combination makes for a strong heat and glare control based on the directions of the glass to the suns angle as well as the number of sun hours per day for each facade of the building.

FENESTRATION PROPERTIES

Alkenz USA has fenestration properties for all of our solar screen fabrics. Our customer service department is able to provide copies of the fenestration properties for each fabric style upon request from the customer.

 
Ts: Solar Transmittance
measures the proportion of solar energy transmitted through the fabric. A low figure indicates a good filtration of solar energy by the fabric.		   Tv: The Visible Light Transmittance
measures the percentage of visable light coming through the fabric that can bee seen by the naked eye. It is related to the amount of light (brightness) a person receives through a glazing system. A low figure shows a very efficient fabric.
         
Rs: Solar Reflectance
measures the proportion of solar energy reflected by the fabric. A high figure indicates a good reflection of solar energy by the fabric.		   O-F: The Openness Factor
measures the proportion of holes in a woven fabric. This parameter, together with other technical properties of the fabric, should be considered when determining the degree of visibility. and heat and glare control, that the fabric offers. The openness factor can vary slightly from color to color in the same fabric, and is often expressed as an Average OF. A low OF shows that the fabric is a very low weave.
         
As: Solar Absorbencies
measures the proportion of solar energy absorbed by the fabric. A low figure indicates a low absorption of solar energy by the fabric.		   Sc: The Shading Coefficient
is the ratio between the solar factors of the protected window (glazing + sun blind) and the solar factor alone.
         
Tuv: The UV Transmittance
is closely related to the openness factor and measures the amount of UV that is transmitted through the fabric.