Bioclimatic façade provides added workplace comfort

In operation since 2002, the building is home to the Vice-Chancellorship of the Institut National Polytechnique (INP) in Toulouse, France, and houses several of the institute’s administrative and support departments. Despite Venetian blinds built into the double-pane windows, the South-facing glazed façade exposed adjoining offices to broad temperature variations. Originally, a lattice structure was proposed to shield the façade, but it was never installed because of cost concerns. Although its absence was conspicuously noticeable.

During summer, the temperature inside offices would often rise above 35°C and air conditioning was virtually ineffective. In 2017, the situation eventually pushed the INP to consult with Calvo Van Tran Associate Architects and ask them to design a solution that could effectively lower heat buildup inside the offices without modifying the existing structure.

Development, manufacturing and installation were provided by Lahille, a local company part of the Expert Serge Ferrari network. “A metal structure was built over the façade to support the membrane, which is stretched onto a succession of ridges and furrows over a height of 10 metres. To achieve this alternating pattern, we used a mixed installation system combining both grooved and ridged aluminium profiles. The structure provides access for maintenance and creates a buffer that also contributes to reduced solar gain in addition to the shading membrane itself. Beside providing thermal insulation, the new saw-tooth façade also adds to the building’s architectural appeal,” says Lionel Reynié, Managing Director of Lahille.

Occupants of the building “are very much relieved, as they have already had a chance to experience the added comfort the solution provides during the warmer days of September and October”.