Sunshade

Boundary and skin

Sunshade

Modernbrise-soleil (French) · sun breaker · quiebrasol (Spanish) · sudare (Japanese)

officeschoolhospitalhousing

A set of fixed or movable blades, horizontal or vertical, placed outside the facade to shade the windows.

Solves

What it solves

It stops the sun before it touches the glass, which is when the most heat is avoided. Well designed, it lets diffuse light, views and breeze through.

Today

Use horizontal blades on north and south facades. On east and west prefer vertical or mixed fins, because there the sun comes in low. Set them slightly away from the wall so the heat does not pass into it.

Common mistake

Putting only horizontal blades on the west facade, where the afternoon sun comes in underneath.

Tomorrow

A well-oriented sunshade lowers the temperature of a classroom or a room without using energy. Timber or recycled pieces cut to size make it possible to install them on existing buildings.

Fact On east and west facades the sun comes in low, so it is best to combine vertical fins with a horizontal piece. An official Scottish technical guide estimates up to 85 to 90 percent less solar gain with that combination.

Where it comes from

  • 1Traditional Japanese architecture Japan, traditional
    Split bamboo blinds (sudare) that shade verandas and windows.
  • 2Modern Movement France, 1933
    Le Corbusier proposes a more solid sun screen as a fixed part of the facade.
  • 3Brazilian modernism Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, designed in 1936 and 1937
    At the Ministry of Education and Health, adjustable horizontal blades protect the north-facing glass facade.

Masters

  • Le Corbusier Mill Owners’ Association Building, Ahmedabad, India, 1954
    He covers the east and west facades with concrete sunshades that cut the strong sun. At the same time they let views and air through.
  • Lúcio Costa Gustavo Capanema Palace, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1945
    With his team he protected the glass facade with adjustable sunshades, a pioneering system worldwide. It teaches that a sunshade can move with the sun of the day.

Appears in the routes

Sources

See also

Also in Boundary and skin

Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.