Godshill, Isle of White

Case Studies

10 Nov

A beautiful new build project based in the Isle of White.

In 2017, IMP House decided to build a pair of eco-friendly houses up to the passive house standards - the leading standard in energy efficient construction. The external appearance of the building needed to keep the look of a converted barn, whilst the previously open gable ends needed to be glazed.

We were delighted to assist Roy Clayton - the owner, with custom made external louvres to provide the perfect solution for his large glazing, ultimately Roy wanted a product that would effectively help in reducing heat gain, withstand wind control and reduce light input.

We asked Roy Clayton to provide us with some further information about his new build project, and why he chose Sunshield External Louvres.

“I'd always wanted to try building a passive house, so in 2016 when I saw an advertisement for a 17-hectare farm with vacant barns that would be perfect to construct residential apartments on top of, it sounded too good to pass up. A few months later I bought the property and obtained permit approvals for converting one of the metal framed sheds into two houses; one opened-ended barn being demolished for construction of a second pair at the time, which then required permitting once again in order to accommodate future changes. For practical purposes we employed different designs - half glazed corners and bay windows all around meant our greenhouse type pattern gave off no indication whatsoever as an external silhouette while within the property this attribute came at a cost. Most notably; east/west facing end walls positioned immediately beside courtyards or garden patios make it difficult if not impossible due owing to extreme climate conditions or heat gain causing severely adverse effects if not executed precisely.

After researching many different options, we eventually narrowed down the decision to four choices:

1. Brise soleil

2. Fixed louvres

3. Opening louvres

4. External openable venetian blinds

We quickly eliminated the option of brise soleils because it offered little protection from solar heating; next came fixed louvres--but we desired opening and closing capabilities; therefore, this meant either external openable venetian blinds or custom-made openable louvres.

Ultimately, thanks to more research and visiting the factory where they are manufactured, the latter option totally won us over because while exterior sunshades had to retract at speeds exceeding sixty kilometers per hour (to avoid being ripped off by high winds), these stationary units always remain fully operable no matter what kind of weather conditions persisted.

After being wrongfully marked one of my drawings! and having to wait for new arms and louvres to arrive - Joost was always there with me throughout the process. When finally fitted, however, it turned out that they did not open because of faulty design on my end. This prompted us to make adjustments - lengthening the lashes where needed so that they could reach further onto the roof slope; giving off an appearance akin to eyelashes. Ultimately, these changes allowed more light in than originally planned as intended while also ensuring safety from strong winds we experienced some time ago. My passage concludes with how impressed I am by Sunshield UK, the installation's performance; how well it works both when opened or closed - ultimately fulfilling what I wanted it to do!”