Anyone who works in an office knows that there are coworkers who are always complaining about how hot it is, and others who always seem bundled up from head to toe.
For employees in giant climate-controlled buildings, Gizmodo reports, an answer to this problem may be coming. Sunbreak, a shading prototype from architects at NBBJ, uses sensors to measure and respond to solar activity. If there is too much solar activity, the shades will close to keep the building cool. If there is too little solar activity, the shades reflect more sunlight into the interior using solar panels.
A unique three-hinged shade is the lynchpin of the design. It morphs from an opaque shutter to an abstract set of vertical blinds to an awning, depending on what is needed.
Single panels can actually be moved to shade or allow sun into specific rooms or hallways with just a few taps on an iPhone. When no one is in the office, Sunbreak notices and puts the entire building on energy conservation lockdown.
This concept could give workers more control over their environments, and could save building owners money on lighting and climate control systems. Check out the video below to see how it would work.
Related Stories
| Feb 26, 2012
Milwaukee U-Haul facility receives LEED-CI Silver
The new elements of the facility now include: efficient lighting with day-lighting controls and occupancy sensors, a high-efficiency HVAC system used in conjunction with a newly constructed thermal envelope to help reduce energy consumption, and the installation of low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption.
| Feb 26, 2012
Hollister Construction awarded 42,000-sf office fit-out in Holtsville, N.Y.
Space leased by U.S. General Service Administration.
| Feb 26, 2012
Alvarez-Glasman & Colvin’s Chen LEED certified
Chen works closely with property owners to ensure that their properties meet and exceed all industry standards, and also provide long-term energy savings.
| Feb 24, 2012
ABI remains positive for three straight months
The AIA reported the January ABI score was 50.9, following a mark of 51.0 in December.
| Feb 24, 2012
Larry Lord joins HDR Architecture as south region science and technology director
A founding partner at Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Lord is nationally renowned for his leadership in architecture for complex projects.
| Feb 24, 2012
Pottorff elevated to principal at Ricci Greene Associates
Pottorff is recognized in the justice field as an expert solely dedicated to the design and planning of courts and urban jails in both the U.S. and Canada.
| Feb 24, 2012
Skanska hires Tingle as senior VP and national director for its Sports Center of Excellence
Tingle has worked in the architecture and construction industries for more than 30 years, and for the last 23 years, he has focused primarily on large-scale sports construction projects
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal budget cuts put major building projects on hold
A plan to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is among several major building projects in jeopardy after the Obama administration’s 2013 budget was unveiled. The budget would cut all construction spending for the facility.
| Feb 23, 2012
Regulators investigating construction accident at World Trade Center
The New York Port Authority and the city’s fire and building departments are investigating an accident at the World Trade Center construction site in lower Manhattan after a crane dropped steel beams that fell about 40 stories onto the truck that delivered them.