CASE STUDY EIGHT: SOLAR SHADING MEANS IMPROVED COMFORT
Project type: Distribution Warehouse, Frating
Film type: Duralux Long Life Solar Control Film – Medium Grey

When sunshine penetrates the glazing on a building it can heat up the inside of the premises to such a point that it causes discomfort for the staff. This situation occurred at a new book distribution centre at Frating, Essex. To over come the problem, the company had Madico Duralux 500 window film, type SG340X-K Neutral grey, applied to the outer face of the glass.

Duralux 500 films rejects solar heat through a combination of reflecting and absorbing the sun’s rays and hence reduced the heat gain at Frating to an acceptable level.

Duralux 500 films have a special finish made of Kynar® polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) resin coating. Kynar® is the same type of surface finish which has been used to protect metal-clad structures and curtain-walled buildings world wide for years. Which is a long lasting exterior coating suitable for use on the external surface of double glazed units.

Using it on the outside ensures that unwanted heat is deflected back into the atmosphere before it actually gets into the glass. This means that the glass is not subject to high levels of heat gain that can occur if the film were installed on the inside, and therefore reduces the risk of the glass in sealed double glazed units cracking as a result of thermal stress "The building was constructed without air-conditioning" the client commented, and as a result got very hot during the summer. As soon as the film had been installed we noticed a drop in temperature. it achieved our objectives of reducing the sunlight without cutting any natural light."