Custom Brise-Soleil Systems

About the system

An aluminium brise-soleil is a shading system of horizontal or vertical blades set in front of a glazed facade to stop sunlight before it reaches the glass. The shape, size, spacing and angle of the blades are set for each building according to the direction the facade faces and the architectural design. At Gündüz Alüminyum we install fixed and movable brise-soleil on glazed buildings in Ankara.

Stopping the sun in front of the glass

Large areas of glass let in the sun’s heat along with plenty of daylight. Summers in Ankara are hot, dry and sunny; offices behind west-facing glass facades in particular heat up quickly in the afternoon, and glare appears on screens. Internal curtains or roller blinds reduce glare, but because the heat is caught only after it has passed through the glass, much of it still stays in the room. A brise-soleil stops the sun’s rays in front of the glass: the interior heats up less, less energy goes on cooling, and the view out remains.

In winter the picture changes: low-angle sun helps to warm the building. On south-facing facades, horizontal blades set at the right spacing and angle block the high summer sun while letting the low winter sun in.

Fixed and movable systems

In fixed systems the blades are installed at an angle chosen for the facade orientation and stay that way. With no mechanism or motor, they need little maintenance and cost less than movable systems. On south facades, where the sun comes from high up, they are often enough.

In movable systems the blades rotate about their own axis, and their angle is adjusted during the day by hand or by motor to suit the position of the sun. On east and west facades the sun comes in low in the morning and late afternoon, so fixed horizontal blades cannot fully block it; vertical blades or adjustable systems work better there. In overcast weather the blades can be opened to let in more daylight.

Design and installation

Because the brise-soleil directly shapes the look of the building, blade size, spacing and colour are chosen together with the architectural design; the blades can be powder coated or given a wood-effect finish. The blades sit on brackets and carrier profiles fixed to the building structure or to the facade system. Bracket centres and fixings are set according to blade length and the wind load on the facade. We prepare the profiles and fixings for each project in our workshop, our own team installs them, and we give a 2-year installation warranty.

At the OSB Gayrimenkul building in Keresteciler Sitesi we installed aluminium brise-soleil together with a curtain wall with horizontal caps and composite panel cladding.

Blade maintenance

Aluminium blades do not rust; for painted surfaces, washing with water and a mild detergent at intervals is enough. On movable systems the pivots and motors should also be checked regularly, and leaves, dirt or birds’ nests that could obstruct the blades should be cleared.