With the ever growing movement of a focus on green solutions for modern energy problems, offices face some of the biggest challenges that architects have. Until recently it was very common for the workforce to gather in one place. At the start of the 20th century it was more commonly to be in a factory or a manufacturing centre. However, as the 20th century progressed this changed. It became much more common to find people working in offices. Whatever the working situation the need to keep the mass of the workforce cool is an issue that has to be addressed.
Usually the solution to keeping the workforce cool was to employ an air conditioning system. this would draw out the hot air from the building and bring in from outside. This is then forcibly blown over a cold source such as chiller water which produces a cool breeze. This then produces the heat of the building. However, the more that people work and the more that gather in the office, plus the general ambient temperature outside creates even more heat. Therefore the air conditioning system has to work harder and longer to retain the temperature within the building. Environmentally this can be something of a challenge as it requires a larger amount of energy to power it.
This is where greener options come into play. Brise Soleil, like that from alusystems.uk. Offers a natural solution. This is a shading slatted system that reduces the amount of sunlight that can enter the building thus reducing the temperature inside.