Case study
Etihad Towers
Anwendung
Innenfassaden
Gebäudetyp
Bürogebäude, Wohngebäude
Architekt
DBI Design
Delivery Partner
Levolux
Produkte
TESS™200
Lage/Standort
Abu Dhabi
About Etihad Towers
20m tall blinds integrated with the BMS to automatically deploy according to light levels
After several years of planning and design, in 2006 His Highness Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan and his Projects Department, saw construction begin on Etihad Towers. Situated in Abu Dhabi’s exclusive district of Ras Al Akhdar, Etihad Towers is a sculptural feat that is a true landmark of the City, every detail has been handpicked and crafted to perfection – from materials, details and finishes, through to spatial planning, lighting and ambience. The towers accommodate residential, office, retail and hotel spaces above the city’s largest shopping mall, with total construction costs estimated at 2.6 Bn Dirhams.
Architects DBI Design asked Levolux to design a shading solution for the large glazed façade in the lobby and special events areas. With a 15 degree incline and reaching 20m in height, each trapezoidal façade ‘spine’ was shaded using a single piece of fabric, fully retractable to reveal the stunning view when solar control was not needed, and translucent when deployed to allow a continued view to the outside. Guthrie Douglas were engaged by Levolux to design a suitable mechanism for the job, and adapted the TESS™ 200 system, with its strong twin barreled technology, to meet the demanding requirements of the brief. Following rigorous testing of mock ups in the factory, over 50 systems were installed by Levolux’s experienced team.
Precise control of the systems was central to providing comfort to those living, working and shopping within the building. Levolux integrated the blinds with a bespoke building management system which allowed automatic deployment according to light levels, easy alignment of hembars, and even synchronization with music in the special events area.
Every detail of the building finish was carefully crafted and inspected, and special return pulleys and recesses were constructed for the blinds to make the final product almost invisible when retracted. These high standards and attention to detail are now reflected in the supreme comfort, luxury, convenience and enjoyment that users now experience when staying in the building.
Read about another project where Guthrie Douglas worked with control specialists to link our motorised blinds to state-of-the-art solar sensors to deploy in unison and only when needed.