Bioclimatic Façades responds to the extremes of external environmental conditions by controlling heat loss and gain, managing daylight and enhancing the quality of the indoor environment.
Click on the image below to view our new leaflet!
Daylight Management
Maximise use of natural daylight to ensure greater visual comfort, reduce the need for artificial lighting, lowering energy consumption and operating costs.
Heating and cooling strategies
Dynamic Insulation™ provides better control of thermal exchanges, enhancing energy efficiency and maintaining thermal comfort.
Natural Ventilation
Automatic window controls reduce the air conditioning bill, and create a healthier and more productive working environment.
Somfy’s commercial solutions can be used in various areas of the building: the entire or part of the façade <Facade Management>, in a specific room <Local controls> or on a single window <Motorisation>.
Facade Management Systems
Centralized controls of shading devices are processed through the Somfy bus lines or open protocols.
Click on the image below to view our catalogue!
Local controls
Somfy has a wide range of controls that allow each user to control their own shading devices, whatever the technology may be.
Motorisation of openings & closures
Somfy provides motors for all the major applications used in commercial buildings today.
Somfy’s solutions for residential buildings can be applied to the whole house <Home Automation>, a specific room <Local controls & automatic systems>, or to a single window <Motorisation>.
Home Automation
Somfy has solutions to power and move all openings in the house <Home Motion by Somfy>. They can be operated alongside other systems as well, such as lighting <Interoperable solutions>.
Local controls & automatic systems
Somfy has a wide range of controls and automatic devices. The choice of technology depends on the building configuration, its usage and the occupants' way of living.
Motorisation of openings & closures
Somfy provides motors for all the major applications used in residential buildings today.
Somfy solutions to be experienced in more than 10 buildings at Shanghai 2010 Expo...
Partnership: Somfy and Philips
Somfy and Philips control light to optimize the working environment in buildings...
Somfy solutions for the hospitality sector to meet new demands for more luxury, comfort and energy saving...
Search and find Somfy reference buildings using different criteria :
Bioclimatic designs allows greater natural light intake
More comfortable to the human eye, sunlight has proven itself as the best source of well-being. Studies show benefits in schools where grades have improved, and in offices with higher productivity and lower absenteeism rates.
Sunlight is free and by reducing the use of artificial lighting allows energy savings. Artificial lighting can amount to 35% of a commercial building's energy costs !
A key parameter: the light transmission coefficient (LT)
It is the ratio of visible light transmitted into a room through the glazing. The higher the ratio, the greater the natural light intake will be resulting in lower demand for artificial lighting during the daytime. Automated shading devices allow for dynamic LT ratio.
Architectural solutions for maximum natural light intake
The size of openings and type of glazing will determine the amount of light transferred and radiated into the building. The openings in the facade must be wide enough to allow the sunlight to penetrate throughout the room. Transparent glazing, as opposed to tinted varieties, guarantees better quality lighting.
To fully take advantage of natural lighting without the inconveniences of direct sunlight, adjustable shading devices are indispensable. They help reduce the contrasts at peak hours of the day, avoid glare and can create special atmospheres.
1- Impact of shading devices on visual comfort in your environment
A day at the office...
... without solar protection ... with solar protection
Source: Luxys, software developed by Somfy in collaboration with the CSTB and l'ENTPE (France).
Some of the shading device controls offer the Suntracking feature that positions the blades on Venetian blinds according to the direction of the sun's rays.
For optimal use of shading devices
They must be automated: Shading devices that are manually adjusted are used less often than ones that are automated. Even more so for hard-to-reach windows or blinds and roller shutters that are not easy to operate manually due to heavy weight or large size.
As automation is key, it is the only efficient way of using shading devices as it acts independently through climate sensors or timers when occupants are not in the building.