The 5 star Europe Hotel in Kilkenny posed some interesting challenges for Dublin-based All Window Blinds but SHY UK was on hand to help out

Architect’s love glass. Glass allows natural, free light to bring the space alive but this light, and the heat it brings with it needs to be controlled, and every so often you come across an interesting challenge.

Such as the one faced by David Brown and All Window Blinds from Dublin when they were asked to provide blinds to the 5 star Europe Hotel in Kilkenny.

This contemporary hotel situated on the shores of Loch Lein has a thriving conference centre, and whilst the full height windows provided stunning views over the Loch and to the hills beyond, they needed a modern and effective form of sun screening. All Window Blinds enlisted the services of SHY (UK) to produce motorised roller blinds to shade to some 300m2 of glass.

The blinds were all fitted with a blackout fabric and controlled by wireless switching, all of which is perhaps fairly unremarkable. However, on this job it was the individual blind sizes which were more unusual. The smallest blinds were a mere 6m2, but most were in double figures and the largest ones measured 6.4 x 4.4m giving a total square area of 28m2. “We have worked with SHY for many years and as soon as I surveyed the site I just knew there was only one solution. Yet again SHY came up with the goods.” explained Darren Nolan a director of All Window Blinds.

Making blinds of this size is definitely more of a science than an art. Cutting and joining cloths has to be done with absolute precision and this is where SHY’s computerised 8m cutting table is put to good use, ensuring everything will run accurately when on site. For large blind sizes the hardware just has to be bigger and more robust and of course the installation needs an extra degree of precision as well as strong fixings!

At this hotel the blinds were concealed within a soffit above the glazing with a timber cover in line with the head of the window. The Zip channels were equally inconspicuous as they were recessed in the timber reveals to the widows - a solution that meant the blinds literally disappeared when fully retracted.

“Most blinds we make are for standard window sizes but we are increasingly providing our dealers with larger blinds.
“We were delighted to help David Brown and All Window Blinds on this job and admire the skill of their installation team in getting everything perfect first time.” comments Martin Dibben, managing director of SHY (UK).

“We can actually make freehanging and roof blinds up to 70m2 in screen or blackout, so the ones used on this site were less than half our maximum. Usually there is some architectural detail which will allow a group of medium sized blinds to be installed rather than one enormous one. But sometimes there is just no alternative and often the overall costs of using a larger blind are less as well.” concludes Martin.

SHY have had a long history of providing roller blinds for all types of commercial applications in the UK, Eire and further afield but you have to go a long way to beat the setting of this installation.

• Shy UK