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— Office Properties Quarterly — June 2016
T
he tenant loved the design, the
contractors came through on
budget and you delivered the
space on time. So why doesn’t
anyone want to work by the
windows in the afternoon? And why
are the energy bills higher than antici-
pated?
The solution is simple, but one that
often is overlooked during construc-
tion.Window coverings in commercial
spaces are frequently an afterthought
– a decision pushed to the last minute
near the end of construction or value
engineered down to the cheapest pos-
sible option.
The problem is that the wrong treat-
ment can negate the energy efficiency
you counted on when the space was
designed. More importantly, the wrong
fabric choice can render a space too
uncomfortable for occupants to use.
Then the issue becomes a loss of pro-
ductivity and usable square footage.
There are four factors we counsel cli-
ents to consider to ensure the window
coverings meet both occupant needs
and budgetary concerns.
1. Be thoughtful with natural light.
Everyone wants the desk near the win-
dow.We all want that connection to
nature, daylight and the outside world
– and this desire isn’t merely anecdotal.
A study published in 2014 in the Jour-
nal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found
that workers who had a window in
their office had a much better sense of
health and were better rested overall.
From an employer perspective, a
National Renewable Energy Lab report
cited evidence that spaces with effec-
tive day lighting experience measurably
increased productivity and reduced
absenteeism in the neighborhood of
15 percent.These benefits turn into
real savings for a company – savings
that can offset the
upfront investment
in better window
coverings.
However, too
much natural light
can have the reverse
effect on productiv-
ity and absentee-
ism – not surprising,
if it’s too hot or the
glare is so bright that
you can’t work. So
daylight is great, but
the key is control.
We counsel clients
to consider roller
shades versus blinds for this purpose,
as they offer the greatest control over
the level of light at any given time
while maintaining the view.
2. Consider motorization and automation.
When it comes to window coverings,
convenience is king. Motorization is
a great tool in this respect, especially
when a space features large or high
windows. Achieving the optimal light
levels through different weather condi-
tions and seasons is far easier when it’s
as simple as the touch of a button to
drop the shades.
Automation also helps balance
energy consumption, allowing and fil-
tering daylight as needed without the
need for humans to interact with the
shades. Automatically lowering shades
in unused spaces like unoccupied con-
ference rooms can result in concrete
energy savings. Automation systems
can operate the shades based on tim-
ers, occupancy sensors, light meters or
software systems that track the sun in
real time.They can even be connected
to the lighting system to become part
of the buildings overall lighting plan.
3. Color matters.
This is an area that
affects not only occupant comfort and
energy efficiency, but also the overall
visual impact of your space.
Light-colored roller shade fabrics can
make spaces feel light and airy. How-
ever, the view through a light shade
is diminished because white reflects
light and can tend to glow.Whereas
dark fabrics absorb light, only allow-
ing it through the holes, providing a
clearer view through, similar to a win-
dow screen. Additionally, light-colored
fabrics are less able to minimize glare.
So in areas where glare is a significant
concern, a dark shade fabric is a better
option.
While darker shade fabric is better for
glare control and maintaining the view
to the outside, it also can absorb more
heat. In this instance, if a dark shade is
selected, look for a high-performance
dark fabric that will protects you from
glare, but won’t heat up surroundings.
4. Choose fabricwisely.
When select-
ing window coverings, performance of
the fabric is crucial to ensuring occu-
pant comfort and energy efficiency.
When working with a client recently,
we compared two different black fab-
rics side by side.The same heat was
applied to both fabrics.The normal
black fabric absorbed the heat, becom-
ing uncomfortably hot, while the high-
performance fabric reflected the heat
and was more than 35 degrees cooler.
The client ended up changing out the
existing black fabric for the high-per-
formance version in order to save cool-
ing costs and add usable space next to
the windows.
Ultimately, the most important thing
you can do to ensure you will reap all
the benefits of a well-designed space
is to respect the major impact the win-
dow coverings can have on the space.
And if you aren’t sure?Well, come
summer, the building occupants will
probably let you know.
s
John
MacKenzie
Sales
representative,
Lu-Tek, Arvada
Design
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Automation helps balance energy consumption, filtering daylight as needed.
Automatically lowering shades in unused spaces can result in concrete energy savings.
