Office buildings in major cities are very expensive to maintain. Typically, office space rents at a premium, with utilities often higher as well, especially in the summer.
During the hottest months of the year, keeping offices in a building at 68°F to 70°F is expensive and can drive electricity bills higher.
So, can sunshades help? When you think of a sunshade, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the old-fashioned awning for porches. Generally, these are wooden or metal poles driven into the ground to support a heavy fabric spread overhead. While these might work as a short-term solution, they are not ideal in the long run.
Wood poles are highly susceptible to rot caused by water damage, and metal poles can easily rust out in the elements. Fabric decays over time due to exposure. You will never see this type of sunshade used on the upper levels of any building. They are simply impractical.
On the other hand, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite sunshades can handle almost anything nature can throw at them. Pultruded products require little to no maintenance, and they have a lifespan of up to 80 years.
You won’t have to worry about damage caused by exposure to the elements, such as sun, wind, or rain. Overall, any FRP composite upgrade to a building is a worthwhile investment.
By 2025, the global fiberglass market is projected to reach US$14.3 billion, up from US$11.5 billion in 2020. From 2020 to 2025, growth is projected at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5%.
With composite materials, particularly fiberglass, project managers and developers can tailor the combination of fibers and resin to meet design requirements.
For example, in retrofit work, more and more architects, builders, and designers are discovering the benefits of using composite profiles. FRP profiles typically comprise two components: a polymer binder called a matrix and a reinforcement fiber.
Composites combine characteristics that improve the final product compared with individual components. Properties such as strength and stiffness depend on the size, shape, and weight/volume of the reinforcement fiber. The resin matrix ─ depending on the proportion and type ─ can also impact the physical characteristics of the end product, such as resistance to impact. Additives can be incorporated into the final product to impart characteristics such as color, fire resistance, or ultraviolet ray resistance.
Now, there is a way to reduce the cooling bill without making drastic changes to the building. This can be done by using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite sunshades.
Recently, business owners in major cities had FRP composite sunshades retrofitted to their office buildings. These innovative sun shades — which are functional, practical, and aesthetically pleasing — help keep offices cool and lower energy bills.
An example of an office building with new FRP composite sunshades comes from San Francisco, CA. A mid-century office building — located on Folsom Street in the South Market area — was in desperate need of updates. Five floors were added to the structure. The lobby and ground-floor retail facility underwent a complete redesign.
Once the renovations were complete, the engineers decided to address factors including natural lighting, environmental performance, and shading. The goal was to recreate a more energy-efficient building.
The owners brought in a team of engineers and architects specializing in FRP composites. The team decided to retrofit the sunshade cladding, which was made of FRP composites.
The team needed a material that would serve two key purposes: be functional and aesthetically pleasing. It must be flexible enough to accommodate solar angles and strong enough to withstand high winds. FRP composites fit the bill.
FRP composite materials were put through rigorous wind tunnel tests to ensure that they would be able to dampen vibrations from high winds without becoming compromised. These materials excelled at the task. The pultrusion process for these custom sunshades then began.
Initially, the pultrusion process is the same for every piece. Fiber bundles were pulled through a liquid resin bath and then injected with additives and colorants as specified by the client. The variation came during the curation process.
The sunshades began to take their final form in a mold designed to meet the solar angles for this specific building. The beauty of FRP composites is that they can be custom-created to a client’s specific requirements.
Once the sunshades were cured, they were transported to the office building and installed. In general, as FRP composites are lightweight and manufactured in manageable pieces, they are much easier to install. Shipping costs are relatively lower.
In this case, each cladding piece was attached to a curtain wall module. This was done using a pre-attached Z-shaped aluminum adapter. Attachments were installed on the FRP composite pieces. Holes can be pre-drilled once the pieces have cured, and the sunshades can arrive at the job site ready for installation.
When the sunshades arrived at the San Francisco office building, workers were able to easily attach them with screws to the aluminum fins on the curtain wall frame. Once that step was complete, the team then attached the entire unit to the exterior of the building. Because of the way the sunshades were installed, they are easily accessible and can even be removed.
Overall, 680 sunshades were installed on this particular office building. Each one measured 6’ in width and had a graduated depth of 1’2” to 2’2” from the second to the twelfth floors. This gradual increase in depth was intended to accommodate the sun's changing angle throughout the day.
Fiberglass composites are some of the most customizable products available on the market today. Available in semi-transparent, translucent, and opaque finishes, you can also add pigments for colorful options.
The benefits of FRP composite materials are numerous. They are highly customizable and resistant to high winds, non-conductive, and resistant to corrosion, impact, heat, moisture, and even insects.
Here at Tencom, our experts have deep expertise in pultrusion and pultruded products, gained over many years. We specialize in various applications of fiberglass and can customize products to meet your specific requirements.
From sun shades to window reinforcements, to sporting goods and everything in between, our FRP composites will last longer than wood or metal products.
Get in touch with us today to find out more or to request an estimate.