AJW
UK Headquarters, Slinfold
Overview
Project
Cambridge Student Accommodation
Client
Cambridge Student Accommodation
What We Did
Supplied & Installed Heavy duty roller Blinds & Bespoke Velux Rooflight Blinds, using FR Blackout Fabric for Bedroom Windows, and Vertical Blinds for Communal Areas with FR Anti-Glare fabric.
Technical Information
- Key to the light, modern interiors are the large number of windows, which draw natural light into all areas.
- Control of the light, particularly in the bedrooms, and also provision for privacy were crucial requirements in this environment, and Valley Blinds were called in to provide a solution for these needs.
- The bedrooms had a wide variety of window sizes and shapes, including Velux blinds, and Valley Blinds manufactured and installed blackout roller blinds and bespoke Velux blinds using fire retardant blackout fabrics. Windows in the Communal areas have been dressed with matching vertical louvre blinds, using an anti-glare privacy fabric.
- The blinds have further enhanced the high standards of the interiors at Student Castle, and the robust, heavy duty systems from Valley Blinds will ensure that this enhancement will be maintenance free for many years to come.
Overview
Project
Rushcliffe Arena & Council
Client
Farrans Construction
What We Did
Valley Blinds have manufactured and installed blinds to achieve blackout, anti-glare and automated privacy in main office areas, chamber rooms & meeting rooms, and public areas.
Technical Information
For this application, we have had to adapt to the particular needs of the client- this was a highly varied task that needed a differing range of blinds for Public Spaces that require Toughness & Longevity, as well as more specialised Internal Areas for which Privacy is important.
- Manual Roller Blinds with heavy duty sidewinder chain mechanisms have been installed to all full height glazing- they have been fitted with stainless steel side guide wires to ensure the blinds held are in their exact position at all times, despite the 3.4m drop.
- A powdercoated white aluminium fascia covers the barrel and mechanism of the blind, leaving a seamless finish to the blinds. An anti-glare 3% openness screen fabric has been used to provide comfortable working conditions and to minimise solar gain through the south facing glazing.
- Motorised radio operated blinds have been installed between the café and the 25m main pool, to provide privacy for the pool users at the touch of a button. Screen fabric has been used for these blinds to provide privacy, whilst still providing filtered natural light to the café area. The blinds have been housed in white aluminium fascias.
Overview
Project
Slinfold UK Headquarters
Client
Envoplan
What We Did
This Office development in Slinfold was designed throughout to achieve outstanding energy efficiencies. With full building automation including intelligent air conditioning and lighting systems, our challenge was to control the level of glare & solar gain through the curtain walling, which forms the entire façade of the office space.
Technical Information
The visual integration of the blind system into the building interior was crucial to the clients requirements, We provided a complete bespoke shading solution, to provide fully integrated automated shading to all glazing, using over 150 motorised blinds.
Based on the Somfy KNX system, the blinds are centrally linked to a KNX Master Control, Tridium Jace processor, and Sun Control module. A roof mounted sun sensor station provides live data to the Sun Control module, and the blinds on individual elevations are driven up or down as the light level crosses the programmed light thresholds. These thresholds can be finely tuned, which was required to meet the exact location requirements. This level of automation provides the ability to exactly coordinate the blinds with the air conditioning, to achieve the greatest possible efficiencies in maintaining the correct office climate.
- The blinds can also be driven by handheld remote controls which override the central control. This enables local group control for all the blinds, for individual areas or rooms.
- The central control system also enables all blinds to be closed at the end of the day for security, and to be re-opened at the beginning of the following day.
- We manufactured and installed cassette roller blinds with side channels, fitted within the curtain walling frames, with all hardware powdercoated to perfectly match the curtain walling.
- A further challenge was that the wiring for the power and control of the blinds could not be supplied to the top of the blind, where the motor was. We designed a bespoke solution, that enabled the side channels to provide a hidden means of housing the control and power cables for the blinds, with the result that the cables could be run beneath the floor to the bottom of the blinds, & that there are no visible cables in any part of the installation.
- The end result is a complete shading system that appears to be part of the curtain walling.
- The blinds have integrated Somfy Sonnesse 30 RS485 motors, with variable speed control and precise stop positions. This means that the blinds will raise and lower at constant speeds with exact alignment with each blind.
- Using this system it is also possible, with further programming, to enable control over the internet from any device.
Product range:
Venetian Blinds | Roller Blinds | Vertical Louvre Blinds | Pleated Blinds | Cassette Blinds | Curtains & Tracks | Awnings & Canopies | Insect Screens