Shade in Summer, Sun in Winter

In modern and contemporary architecture it is apparent that glass is key. Full-height glazing, ribbon windows, tall windows, almost anything outside of traditional punched openings is your norm. However, with bigger expanses of glass it’s frequently necessary — based on window placement and orientation, among other things — to supply some type of sunshade to cut back on solar heat gain from the warm months, while enabling light back in throughout fall and winter.

Nature supplies the best sunshade: deciduous trees filter sun in the summer, but if their leaves fall toward the winter, that valuable sun and warmth is reintroduced into your home. But trees require time to grow, and at times it is not possible to plant a tree in the place it is required for this type of shading. Enter louvered sunshades. These cantilevered assemblies filter the summer sun, but their placement near the top of windows lets the low winter sunshine enter below them. Below is a sampling of several homes incorporating sunshades in various applications.

jessop architects

Oftentimes the magnitude of a sunshade is decided by aesthetics instead of work, decreasing the efficacy of the colour. This case shows sizable shades that are so heavy they need bracing.

jessop architects

Another application by precisely the same architect shows a similar construction of louvered colors with brackets above a ribbon window. A look inside …

jessop architects

… shows the way the sunshade works in concert with a louvered double-wall in the lower section of the glass wall. When the sun is low, light will enter the upper part to help heat the interior when it is cold.

R. D. Sherrill

Not all sunshades need to be louvers. This assembly, which can be hung from above, opts for a grid to help decrease sunlight. From a different perspective…

R. D. Sherrill

… we can see the way the color also acts like a canopy, defining an entrance and a small outdoor room.

Narofsky Architecture + ways2design

And if you’re concerned about all this metal, sunshades may also be constructed of wood or some other material. This color also acts as a canopy for a entry (on the right) while filtering the sun above the glass on the leftside. Another view …

Narofsky Architecture + ways2design

… reveals this sunshade extends beyond both sides of the entrance, shading a number of rooms with one assembly. The construction perfectly complements the stone of the house’s exterior and the landscaping components.

Ana Williamson Architect

This hybrid steel/wood colour works in concert with the overhang above, which colors the clerestory within the sliding doors. A view from within…

Ana Williamson Architect

Shows how in which the sunshade may also tie inside and outside together, behaving like an expansion of the former.

Hammer Architects

In this case a sunshade turns into a trellis within an outside seating area.

jessop architects

Some atypical examples to round this out ideabook include this louvered trellis within an entrance walkway. Punched into a solid roof airplane, the color lets in more light than if it were strong, helping to create the entrance more inviting. A closer look …

jessop architects

… reveals the superb light patterns that result at certain times of the day.

Darwin Webb Landscape Architects, P.S.

Solid materials may also be utilized for sunshades, such as this translucent airplane over wood construction. In this case the color filters light entering the glass expanse at appropriate, but in addition, it permits the seating area to be utilized even if it is raining.

pulltab

This sunshade — more of a trellis, actually, but resembling different colors in this ideabook — protects the people sitting under it, not people on different side of a glass wall. The incorporation of the wood construction with ivy from the planters behind the chairs is superb.

Tim Cuppett Architects

This last example shows a sunshade (middle of photo, in timber ) that is placed vertically rather than horizontally. Its place on a detached framework between the 2 floors lets it function as a color for the first floor; the large overhang above colors the next floor. A view from within…

Shows how the wood slats overlap with the window opening, therefore large sun is filtered.

More:
Wood Slats in Design: Scale, Repetition and Light
Translucent Surfaces: A Canvas for Light and Shadow
Beautiful Shutters That Really Work

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