Asian Infrasctructure Investment Bank

THE HIGHEST SO FAR

"How high did you say? An average of 26 meters? You need a roll 3.2 meters wide and 33 meters long to make just one blind? The transparency must be flawless along the entire length. You need more than 15,000 square meters of this cloth? Okay!"

"Helioscreen loves a challenge," says sales and marketing manager Leo De Maeyer. "So when we received the above request from Hunter Douglas China for a project for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing, we didn't hesitate for a moment. We knew it was going to be difficult, but we also knew that only a well-oiled team like ours could get this job done."

Indoor blinds average about 3 meters wide and 3 meters high, but occasionally Helioscreen gets requests for larger canvases: 5 to 6 meters wide or 9 to 10 meters high. "The tallest awning for which we had supplied cloth so far was 16 meters. That was in 1999 for Volkswagen's Shanghai headquarters, also in China. Apparently they like screens big there..."

But screen fabric for 26-meter-high screens was a new experience for Helioscreen - and also for partner Hunter Douglas Window Covering Products Shanghai. Production required meticulous quality control, careful planning and intensive communication between Helioscreen's various business units. "But together we pulled it off," De Maeyer concludes with satisfaction.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) headquarters is located in Beijing's Olympic Park and includes five office buildings with a total floor area of 390,000 square meters. Completed in late 2019, the complex is a brand new landmark in the center of the Chinese capital.

Helioscreen's Sergé 3% fabric is used for the blinds in the 80-meter-high lobby and in the seven atriums of the headquarters. The giant screens provide balanced daylight and views to the outside. Gray-black (approximately 4,000 m2) and gray-white (approximately 16,500 m2) were chosen as colors

Keeping the environment and sustainability of this innovative and green complex in mind, the designers combined modern technology with energy-saving measures. In addition to the advanced blinds, the building also has state-of-the-art ventilation systems and other smart building management technologies.

That will be the reason why it received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating, the highest score of this most widely used green building rating system in the world. "At Helioscreen, we are therefore extremely proud to add this benchmark project to our record of achievement," concludes Leo De Maeyer.