Platform on sun and daylight control, shutters, patio covers and closures
The Belgian professional association Zonwering en Rolluiken Verozo has developed a BIM tool (design tool) that allows architects to incorporate solar shading into a home as early as the design phase. This is a breakthrough because to date, too few heat-resistant homes are being built to combat global warming and climate change.
In our regions, houses are still designed primarily to retain heat in winter, but not to keep it out in summer. In addition, modern building styles with a lot of glass are also popular, which, while they can take advantage of sun and light in the house, also have the danger of rapid warming.
"That problem is then mostly solved with techniques that cost a lot of energy," Verozo Secretary General Ann Van Eycken notes. "Just the opposite of what we need to combat climate change. Homes with functional solar shading are heat-resistant. The blinds are used correctly and efficiently to provide cooling, without using extra energy to do so."
To facilitate the efficient and effective use of solar shading, Verozo has developed a BIM tool. This makes it easier for architects to integrate solar shading into a construction or remodeling project. To date, architects still often struggle to choose the right shading solution in certain situations. Verozo's BIM tool provides an answer to this with generic Revit models for eleven different types of awnings. With these, facades can be created in Revit and it becomes clear how certain types of shading can be integrated.
"With this, we offer a solution that was much needed," Ann Van Eycken clarifies. "With an overview of the available shading data for a specific project and all kinds of video tutorials on which type of shading can be integrated into the facade, the architect can now include shading at an early stage of the design process."
The materials library of the BIM tool contains different color options for efficient shading applications, such as louvres or transparent fabrics, with corresponding solar factor (gtot), based on the combination of shading and double glazing with a U-value of 1.1. Users will also find web links to specific BIM objects of VEROZO members, to use immediately in their own BIM project. More information can be found at verozo.be/bim.
After an earlier showroom in New York, markilux has opened its next flagship store in the U.S. near Los Angeles. In the Pacific Design Center (PDC) in West Hollywood, the awning manufacturer has been presenting many of its products on approximately 110 square meters since the end of April in a hip design district, which attracts many affluent Californians from the Los Angeles area. An ideal location for markilux, therefore.
"We can be found on the first floor of the Blue Whale, one of the PDC's three impressive architectural complexes and a landmark in West Hollywood," said Peer Cornelßen, Head of International Sales at markilux. In the blue building of the complex, more than 70 international showrooms and stores can be found on approximately 70,000 square meters. They display a careful selection of modern living and contract furniture, fabrics, floor coverings, designer lamps and sun protection products. More than 2,000 leading manufacturers are represented in this building with their product lines for residential and commercial spaces.
Peer Cornelßen is enthusiastic about the atmosphere of the location. "In the showroom has high ceilings and a lot of natural light falls in. Here we can also show our large screen systems such as the pergola stretch, markilux markant or the syncra." Twelve models of the markilux product portfolio will first be on display there, with other models to follow after the opening. Training courses for authorized dealers will also be offered in the showroom upon request.
According to Cornelßen, the new West Coast location benefits from a rich arts and entertainment scene and is part of an international design community. "The region is therefore home to many high-income people, including from the film and television industry. The PDC thus attracts many people interested in design. Especially since another building houses a movie theater, conference rooms, a fitness center and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Exhibitions, meetings, fashion shows or receptions also regularly attract visitors. That and the weather in California offer good opportunities to bring our high-quality product range to the attention of many people."
The BERNER Group is a supplier of innovative chemical products. With the new X-treme Parts Cleaner, the company has developed a new parts cleaner. This new product works without organic and volatile solvents, according to BERNER. The X-treme Parts Cleaner is available exclusively from BERNER.
Until now, durable cleaners have usually been significantly less effective than comparable conventional chemical products, BERNER said. According to the company, the new X-treme Parts Cleaner combines the best of both worlds: it is easily biodegradable according to OECD 301A and also has great cleaning power.
In addition to residue-free removal of stubborn soiling, such as burnt-in grease or caked-on oil residues, BERNER says the long-lasting cleaner also scores through its versatility. The product can be used classically in a cleaning bath or diluted in an ultrasonic bath. But the parts cleaner can also be used easily in a pump sprayer.
Because the X-treme Parts Cleaner contains no volatile solvents or fragrances, the product is odorless. Due to its special composition, the product does not cause emissions (fumes) that could lead to headaches or other negative side effects, according to BERNER. Thus, the cleaner thus protects both the environment and the health of the user. The cleaner is available in 5 and 20 liter jugs.
BERNER lists the following properties of the product:
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