COOL DESIGN LEADS TO COOL INTERIORS

ISSUE 71 March 2020

A modern villa has gained much needed external sun protection that also works with the windows’ contemporary minimal design.

When they moved in seven years ago, the owners of an ultramodern newbuild villa with sleek white walls and huge windows believed they were investing in a carefree, comfortable life. However, they soon realised they would have to find the right solution to keep the interior pleasantly cool on hot days. The villa’s large windows might let in an abundance of daylight, but they also exposed the south-facing side to the full heat of the sun.

Solutions from Renson ultimately provided the answer to the owners’ problem, with the product selected providing a number of features that fitted the home’s specific needs perfectly.

“The owners had already considered sun protection screens when they built the house, but they eventually moved away from the idea as they feared such large surfaces would not be able to handle much wind,” a spokesperson for Renson confirmed. “They were told the sun protection glass would be enough to keep the sun out, but this soon turned out not to be the case, and other solutions, such as indoor curtains or sun protection film on the glass, offered no relief. Eventually, they settled on their original solution: sun protection screens.

Installer Luc Boonen recalls the day the owners came to him with their request: “The only problem was the narrow window profiles of the minimal windows. With most existing sun protection screens on the market, the side channels would protrude in front of the glass, which would be a real shame with this property. With just two centimetres of the window profile visible, the classic Renson Fixscreens (with 3.5 cm side channels) were not an option in this case. Fixscreen Minimal, however – with side channels that are just two centimetres wide – was the perfect solution. With the screen box and side channels finished in the same textured coating colour, screwfree channels and a smaller bottom bar, these retrofitted sun protection screens are barely noticeable. Fixscreen Minimal really fills a gap in the market: the system’s minimal impact on the home and architecture makes it the perfect solution for retrofitting to sleek homes with ‘minimal windows’, especially if they have a large span, given the fact the smaller screen box still provides the option to cover surfaces of that size.”

“In terms of both look and feel and installation, this new Fixscreen product marks a major step forward,” Boonen adds. “The new system enables us to fit the screen box separately before placing the side channels. The fact that the bottom bar can now also be fitted or removed on location saves a huge amount of weight when fitting large screens.”

With the sun protection screens in place, the owners have noted a marked difference inside their home. “As soon as the sun comes through those windows, we lower the sun protection screens. They really help to keep the interior temperature just right, even on hot summer days. “And that’s before we mention the other big advantage: the screens are transparent, so the view through the windows is never interrupted.”

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