{"id":18812,"date":"2016-09-28T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-09-28T14:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/?p=18812"},"modified":"2016-09-27T09:29:55","modified_gmt":"2016-09-27T13:29:55","slug":"specifying-the-right-privacy-and-shading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionspecifier.com\/specifying-the-right-privacy-and-shading\/","title":{"rendered":"Specifying the right privacy and shading"},"content":{"rendered":"
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All images courtesy Unicel Architectural<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

by Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Couturier and Viviane Chan
\n<\/strong>When specifying glazing solutions for vision, sound, light, and heat control, design actions often come down to a choice between integrated louvers and integrated blinds. Knowing the difference between the two\u2014and which option may be more suitable for an application\u2014\u2028is critical.<\/p>\n

Integrated louvers are insulating glass units (IGUs) incorporating cord-free, extruded aluminum louvers within glass that can be customized to virtually any shape for interior and exterior glazing in vertical and sloped applications. Their use commonly eliminates strings and cords, ensures alignment, requires no maintenance, and provides options for daylighting or privacy. When installed in exterior applications, integrated louvers can significantly reduce energy consumption in support of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements.<\/p>\n

Integrated blinds address many glazing design requirements for vision, sound, heat, and light control. They are cleaner and more hygienic than traditional Venetian blinds that are separate from glass. However, they can easily be misaligned, leaving visual gaps\u2014even when fully closed, the spacing between slats does not offer complete privacy and light blockage. While they are not known for long-term durability, integrated blinds are the more cost-effective integrated alternative, lending themselves well to residential and educational designs.<\/p>\n

Specifying the best solution by building type
\n<\/strong>The intended purpose and function of a building will dictate whether the best privacy and daylighting solution to be specified is integrated louvers or blinds.<\/p>\n

Healthcare facilities
\n<\/em>Both integrated solutions make sense for healthcare construction where privacy, safety, and hygiene are key considerations. They are equally hygienic and hermetically sealed within glazing. They both can be made with fire-rated glazing and adaptable anti-ligature operators to protect patients and staff.<\/p>\n

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Integrated louvers provide maximum control of heat and light to protect valuables in cultural buildings such as museums and art galleries.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, integrated louvers can provide superior levels of vision, sound, heat, and light control. For example, they can ensure complete adjustable privacy and visibility levels, whereas integrated blinds may have visibility gaps. Integrated louvers offer better sound control, as the louvers-within-glass product assembly delivers sound-wave barriers on par with concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls. This can be important in a setting where tranquility helps facilitate the recovery process. Increased noise levels have a wide range of effects on patients. In addition to the obvious difficulty in sleeping, patients exposed to higher levels of noise consistently show higher levels of stress, increased heart and respiratory rates, higher blood pressure, and, in the cases of infants, decreased levels of oxygen saturation. (See M. Slevin et al\u2019s 2000 article, \u201cAltering the NICU and Measuring Infants\u2019 Responses\u201d in Acta Paediatrica<\/em> [89(5)].) These can all decrease the body\u2019s ability to recover and heal, and lead to longer hospital stays, along with higher rates of re-hospitalization. (For more information, see V. Blomkvist et al\u2019s 2005 article, \u201cAcoustics and Psychosocial Environment in Coronary Intensive Care\u201d in Occupational and Environmental Medicine<\/em> [62 (1\u20138)].) In addition, integrated louvers support Health Insurance Portability and Accountability <\/em>Act<\/em> (HIPAA<\/em>) requirements for doctor-patient privacy.<\/p>\n

Correctional facilities
\n<\/em>Keeping the staff safe is the priority for any correctional facility. Interior windows and doors are required to monitor activities in inmate areas, gathering spaces, meetings rooms, and clinics. Visibility is important, but these windowed-portals must have shatter- and bullet-resistant glass. Additionally, any privacy solutions must be adjustable\u2014permitting both open views and fully blocked visibility\u2014and strong enough to withstand violent impacts.<\/p>\n

Both integrated solutions can offer the required levels of safety while providing adjustable visibility for staff monitoring. They can provide cordless operation (i.e.<\/em> eliminating the cords or strings posing a strangulation or self-harm hazard), and anti-ligature control knobs without corners or edges. Further, use of high-impact glazing or polycarbonates eliminate the risk of dangerous glass shards. However, integrated louvers have an edge in correctional facilities as the extruded aluminum louvers provide the highest levels of sound thinning and ensure fully blocked visibility when required.<\/p>\n

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Integrated louvers ensure control of vision, sound, and light in interior doors and windows to provide patient privacy, tranquility, and safety.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Educational facilities
\n<\/em>Studies suggest effective use of daylight improves student performance and accelerates learning. For example, research by the Heschong Mahone Group, found students in classrooms with more natural light scored up to 25 percent higher on standardized testing than students in classrooms with lower-levels of daylight. (For example, see Heschong Mahone Group\u2019s 1999 report, \u201cDaylighting \u2028in Schools: An Investigation into the Relationship Between Daylight and Human Performance.\u201d) Further, the effective use of daylight in educational environments has been shown to increase student and teacher attendance, boost achievement rates, reduce fatigue, and improve student health.<\/p>\n

For exterior applications, integrated louvers have the advantage over blinds, providing the highest levels of daylight control for optimal thermal efficiencies and LEED contributions. Integrated louvers are more adept at reducing cooling costs in warm weather and heating costs in the cold.<\/p>\n

For interior applications, integrated blinds typically gain the advantage in K\u201312 schools as they are less costly, making them a more palatable option for stringent public educational budgets. Like integrated louvers, they provide adjustable vision and light control required for classrooms, study halls, libraries, and labs.<\/p>\n

Residences
\n<\/em>For residential construction, both integrated solutions provide shading and privacy control for sunrooms, atriums, windows, and doors. However, the integrated blinds are typically the preferred solution to specify as they are capable of not only tilting, but also lifting\u2014\u2028a characteristic often used in residential applications. Further, they are more suitable for these types of budgets and aesthetics.<\/p>\n

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For exterior curtain wall applications, integrated louvers provide optimal daylight control (along with natural light’s benefits).<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Commercial buildings
\n<\/em>Modern office space must provide more than a place to work. A contemporary workspace should consider a healthy environment that translates into higher productivity and lower operating costs. For workplaces, lighting is a critical element for staff. Natural lighting is proven to have positive impacts on moods, productivity, and well-being. Thus, commercial architecture needs to maximize natural lighting while mitigating the impacts of heat and glare.<\/p>\n

In this case, integrated louvers deliver significant advantages. They provide the highest levels of daylight and shading control, thereby ensuring optimal thermal efficiencies by reducing heating, cooling, and lighting costs. Their construction ensures superior sound-dampening capabilities for more tranquil working environments. In addition, integrated louvers typically ensure better long-term return on investment (ROI) and come with superior product warranties, which are important considerations for commercial budgets.<\/p>\n

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In correctional projects, integrated louvers help ensure safety and privacy for inmate areas with adjustable louvers and shatterproof glass.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Art galleries and museums
\n<\/em>Museums and art galleries, along with other buildings designed to showcase house and protect items of value, require discerning architectural design. Daylight enhances and adds beauty to exhibits and interiors, but it can also usher in damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays, unwanted heat, and glare. Using ample glazing is an essential part of creating beautiful art-oriented and cultural spaces, but this also necessitates effective sunlight management.<\/p>\n

Integrated louvers once again provide an advantage over blinds, as they help ensure optimal daylight management. They provide the maximum levels of daylight, heat, and light control that galleries and museums need to protect exhibits from damaging UV rays. Louvers also permit the flexibility of design required to suit even the most unique architectural requirements. To filter light in the most efficient manner, they can be specified into sloped, vertical, flat, and overhead glazing. Their alignment is not affected by glass inclination\u2014whether in vertical or sloped glazing. However, if integrated blinds are not installed perfectly vertical, they will sag and not stay aligned.<\/p>\n

Detailed specification considerations
\n<\/em>Once integrated solution has been chosen for the building design, the next step is to specify the detailed product requirements.<\/p>\n

Regulatory requirements
\n<\/strong>Based on the application, integrated solutions need to comply with certain safety and quality assurance standards, including:<\/p>\n