With the annual summer closure of Metadecor (29 July – 18 August, 2024) just around the corner, we are – like everybody else – longing for sunny moments. We want to relax in the sun, catch some vitamin D. It is not that we are not aware of the sun on other days. Every day, we work on façades to keep the sun outside or temper it in any way. Just like the general advise for holiday makers: enjoy the sun, but in sensible doses!

At Metadecor we work with the sun on a daily basis. In all our projects, the sun plays a major role in the way the façade designs are created and engineered. We have to recon with the sun for the moments that it is shining in abundance and we have to find solutions for the moments that we need daylight on a cloudy day. Sometimes we want to catch the sun (to use its energy) and sometimes it is better to keep to sun at a distance (to keep out the heat and the glare).

Like gravity, but capricious

In architecture, the sun is a powerful force. Like gravity, but different. Gravity is a constant, where the sun is a capricious partner in the design process. When the sun hits the building too hard, it has a negative effect on the comfort and energy efficiency of the building. If you design a façade that (too) rigidly keeps the sun out, you need energy (as in: artificial lighting) to use the space. The dominancy of the sun in the design process is influenced by the climate, the different seasons, the rhythm of day and night, the orientation of the building. To design a façade that functions as an optimal skin under every circumstance and on every part of the building is a complex matter.

Big steps first, attention to detail later

When designing a new building, the biggest ‘gain’ can be had by choosing the orientation and form of the building and attune them to the sun. In Europe, the south façade is suitable for generating energy (Building Integrated Photo Voltaics, BIPV), but also needs more insulation and shading in front of the glass elements.
Architect Norman Fosters talks about “self-shading façades”: façades that are optimized (in form and materials) to catch the sun where needed, keep it out when it is too intense while still catching enough daylight. Self-shading façades are sectional façades with closed surfaces towards the direct sun and light inlets in other directions. All façades of the building are different, using this strategy. It is worth the investment, when the energy efficiency of the building is also take into account.
Daylight simulation software is a valuable tool for architects and engineers to optimize the orientation of the building and calculate the influence of the (lack of) transparency of the façade on the energy efficiency of the building. It really pays off to use this software: for existing buildings as well. Metadecor makes facades and screens that keep the direct sun out, but let the daylight penetrate in calculated dosage to ensure daylight (and a visible connection with the world outside). For school building Het Zandkasteel, special “eye lashes” where constructed to keep the glare out of the classrooms. As part of the refurbishment of school building De Klimroos, vertical louvres with MD Formatura not only shade the sun, but give (a new) character to the building as a whole.

Using patterns in metal facades

Façades made with MD Designperforation, MD Expanded Metal and MD Formatura keep the direct sunlight out of the building, while maintaining the view to the surrounding (urban) landscape for its users. The design team has many possibilities to “play” with patterns of perforation and transparency. The heavily sun-exposed façades can have a more dense pattern in the same configuration and appearance, while the other facades are more open to catch as much daylight as possible.
With MD Formatura the design team gets even more variables to play with the sun and daylight. It is possible to bend the figures in the MD Formatura pattern to reflect the sun or keep them closed when needed. With a larger angle, the overall transparency of the façade increases, standing in front of it. But with the right orientation of the building and bending of elements, it is possible to create a wider range of transparency using the same pattern.
MD Expanded Metal gives the possibility to use a gradient in transparency in one panel. This also gives the design team to regulate the penetration of the sun through the façade.

Double skin

In a growing number of projects, Metadecor applies double skin façades. The metal elements can be applied in a static configuration (closed) or with parts that can be opened (MD Apertura). In some cases, the metal skin is placed directly in front of the (glass or insulated) façade. The Metadecor headquarters showcases this, for example. Residential projects like Old Town Court in Prague (with MD Designperforation) and Between The Sheets in Amsterdam (MD Formatura) have a metal skin close to the insulated façade.

In other examples, like Raqtan Headquarters in Dammam, a space of about 70 centimeters has been created between the glass façade and the metal façade (MD Expanded Metal). This space can be used for recreational or maintenance purposes. Interesting about this solution is that this in-between space seems to function as a microclimate, free from direct sunlight, rain and wind. The effect that this double façade has on the energy efficiency of the building in Saudi Arabia is considerable. Furthermore, during the ‘winter’ period, the users of the building are able to open the sliding glass doors and have natural ventilation – quite unique in this climate. Metadecor is currently researching the optimal width for this microclimate, analyzing recent buildings in different climate conditions.

More force of nature

In an article about the sun and other forces of nature, we have to mention Airshade Technologies. Metadecor is working closely with this startup for international projects and prototypes to create dynamic shading systems that are solely powered by the expansion of air. Air that has been heated by the sun. The prototype that was installed in the desert in Abu Dhabi in the summer of 2023 (in collaboration with Arup and Masdar City) has proven itself to be working and new projects in the area are discussed. At the same time, we are researching the effectiveness of the system for the European climate, with a grant from the Dutch government.

Yes, at Metadecor we love the sun and the challenges it brings when designing and engineering facades. We welcome new challenges with architects and engineers to create futureproof architecture, to innovate and make buildings that benefit from the light, energy, radiation and heat of the sun. We encourage you to think about that, while relaxing on a beach towel, under that palm tree.