SHY (UK) tells Blinds & Shutters about its high level work at Ware Priory and why the company is seeing an increase in motorised solutions

Motorised blinds are now commonly specified for commercial and public buildings as well as homes. In SHY (UK)’s experience the key reasons for motorisation are usually:
– The blinds are to be automatically controlled by AV equipment, environmental sensors or a building management system
– There are many blinds on a project which require adjusting together
– The client wants to prevent unauthorised use
– The blinds require frequent adjustment
– The blinds are located at high level or in a position that makes manual control difficult or impossible
– The blind is large and more easily operated by motor than manually
– To extend the operating life of the blind
– To provide a safer option for installations where children or vulnerable people may be present.

The position of the blind can often be the most important reason for motorisation and this was certainly the case at Ware Priory, a job installed by InterLace of Cambridge. Ware Priory is a conference and wedding venue and a new building had a high level rooflight which provided a lovely light-filled space but when the room was being used for meetings and presentations the light gain was too great. Given the height of the rooflight it really had to be motorised but overall size had a part to play as well. Although the blind was only a metre wide it was over 12m long so even if it had been within reach, motorisation would have been the only control option.

The technology involved in control systems and interfaces with blind motors has improved considerably in recent years allowing a seamless integration in virtually all situations. Radio control with the obvious benefits of no wires, rolling codes and significant signal range has meant the barriers to adoption of motorised blinds have gradually been whittled away.

At SHY (UK) a significant proportion of the blinds produced, for rooflights or windows, are motorised and in the first quarter of 2009 motorised blind sales were almost 50 per cent higher than the same period last year.

Commenting on this increase SHY UK’s managing director Martin Dibben said: “We have always produced more motorised blinds than manually operated ones but the start of this year has been exceptional. The increase has been across Zip Screen blinds as well as our Sunfacta and Obscura ranges as the benefits of motorisation are realised by end users through effective promotion by our dealers.”

• SHY (UK)