Belgo Metal (Permasteelisa Group), a company specialising in facade architecture, has designed its new headquarters in Wetteren, Belgium as a national technology display window. The design is the work of the architecture agency MDW & A Verbeke.

The company's management and the architects wanted to create a workplace where offices and workshops entwine in a single area promoting contact and a team feeling in the different parts of the business.

The 2430m2 of office space on three floors is designed as an open space wrapped in a double-skin glass facade letting in an optimal amount of natural light and with high operating flexibility. The 6310m2 factory meshes with the volume of the landscaped office space. A glass curtain 3 metres high, it is designed for total transparency allowing visitors a direct view of the production line. In partnership with the blind manufacturer Boflex SA, Mermet has fitted all the faades with interior blinds covering about 800m2, in transparent M-Screen 8505 fabric in charcoal/grey 3001. 

Glass is the building material that epitomises modern architecture. With the double-skin techniques, glass facades have made definite progress in the reconciliation of natural light and insulation. A double-skin faade consists of layers of glass (in single or double glazing) separated by a ventilated cavity which enhances insulation from both heat and noise. Controlled circulation of the air prevents heat from accumulating between the layers of glazing. Incoming air can even be cooled in summer or heated in winter.

The double-skin facade lets in daylight while keeping the temperature and summer sunlight under control. Inside the building, air renewal is mechanically controlled. To reap all its benefits, abundant natural light needs to be well controlled. Double-skin facades can be fitted with blinds outside, inside or between the glazing.

The transparent fabrics for exterior and interior blinds in the Modulight collection work well with glass and double-skin faades because they give protection from heat and control glare. Because they are made of coated glass fibres, they are exceptionally transparent and have many technical qualities, notably dimensional stability, even when exposed to temperature variations. The width ranges available, up to 3.10 metres for M-Screen 8505, prevent having to weld seams which could spoil the look of the glass. 

At the Belgo Metal headquarters, user comfort was integrated into the general building process right from the design stage. The glass faades are fitted with interior roller blinds.  To give the faade a uniform appearance, the 225 blinds are electrically powered and automated. They are centrally controlled by a timer which lowers or raises them according to the light at different times of the day. They can also be operated individually to suit the needs of users. The enhanced performance of the M-Screen 8505 solar protection fabric ensures that light is successfully combined with comfort, an essential criterion for double-skin faades. The 3001 charcoal/grey colour provides very good outside visibility, high glare control and protection from heat.

Visual comfort is a decisive factor for productivity. To combine wellbeing with efficiency, solar protection regulates variations in the luminance of glass faades throughout the day and the seasons.

The transparent fabrics in the Modulight range, such as M-Screen 8505, help to create an open and congenial work atmosphere. Its open weave filters the rays of the sun and leaves behind the best of natural light.

By selecting the M-Screen 8505 fabric in a dark colour, blind manufacturer Boflex chose the optimal solution for eliminating sources of glare. The fabric has a Tv=7% factor, which means it filters 93% of the light rays.

• Blind manufacturer - Boflex
  
• Fabrics - Mermet 
  

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