Fabrics

Tensioned shading systems require technical fabric that is strong and stable, whilst meeting environmental and aesthetic design criteria. Our fabric collection has been selected by our engineers to provide an optimum combination of these factors.

Guthrie Douglas approved fabrics are rigorously tested under the most demanding conditions to ensure consistent performance over thousands of cycles. Reaching the highest performance standards these fabrics can be used on all tension systems regardless of size, shape or orientation. We have categorized them into three groups:

Data values explained

Solar energy control

The Gtot, or total solar energy transmittance, is the percentage of solar energy that reaches the interior of a building, penetrating through the blind and glazing. It is calculated from a number of factors, including direct transmittance (Ts), reflectance (Rs), and absorptance (As), as illustrated here on an external shading system.

The closer the fabric’s index is to 0, the more efficient it is in terms of protection against the sun’s heat.

Visual comfort or glare control

Glare and comfort is subjective, but a Total Transmitted Light (Tv) value gives an indication of fabric performance in regulating brightness, reducing glare and managing contrast. The Tv value of a fabric is the total percentage of daylight transmitted into the room, made up of two elements; the direct light through the open spaces of the fabric and the light that is diffused through the fibre.

Maintaining view-through for visual comfort and wellbeing, whilst managing glare is possible through a combination of colour choice and openness. The application of specialist fabric coatings widens the colour choices available and is extremely beneficial for solar energy control.

There are thousands of technical fabrics on the market, many of which are compatible with TESSTM systems. For fabrics outside of our approved collection, we can carry out a desktop suitability assessment at no charge. Alternatively, you can submit a sample of the fabric to our testing service, used by many of the industry’s fabric experts as a performance benchmark. Please get in touch: sales@guthriedouglas.com

To request a Guthrie Douglas fabrics swatch book, complete the form below.

Request a Fabric Swatch Book