Brise Soleil Blades

Brise soleil blades are aluminium blades mounted on support arms above or across a window, and BDF Architectural designs, supplies and installs them on commercial, public and residential façades across London and the UK. The blades are angled so the high summer sun is blocked while diffuse daylight still reaches the room, reducing cooling loads and glare and improving comfort for occupants.

Horizontal blades work best on south-facing elevations, where the sun is high and a projecting shelf of blades cuts it off. Vertical blades suit east and west elevations, where the sun is low and comes in from the side. Blades can be fixed at a set angle or adjustable, with custom blade profiles and support arm details, in aluminium extrusions powder-coated in any RAL colour or anodised.

On a horizontal system the blades are either set as a projecting shelf on cantilevered arms at the head of the window or at a transom, or stacked as a screen of blades in front of the glass. The depth of each blade and the gap between blades decide the cut-off: the closer or deeper the blades, the lower the sun angle they block, but the less daylight and view gets through, so the spacing is a balance set for each elevation. The blades are fabricated in our West Drayton facility in west London and installed across London and the UK.

We design each system around the project's orientation, sun path and architecture: the projection, blade spacing and angle are set so the shading works in summer without over-darkening the rooms behind. The support arms carry the weight of the blades and the wind load on them back to the curtain walling, façade system or structure, so the fixings are designed with the façade they sit on, and the blades can be supplied in the same package as that glazing.

To price brise soleil blades, send elevations marked with orientation, the window or curtain wall sizes, the projection and finish you have in mind, what the arms fix to, and programme dates.