Consideration Factors When Purchasing Commercial Blinds
Choosing blinds for your office or commercial building is something that quite often goes overlooked, despite the fact that it can be a cost-effective way to increase employee well-being and productivity. There are many important factors to take into consideration when choosing your perfect shading solution, such as functionality, lead and installation time, quality and style to ensure projects stay on schedule, on budget and meet design specifications.
Legal and Safety Considerations Associated with Commercial Blinds
In the 1992 Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations it states that blinds are required for a safe working environment to ensure that there is no direct glare or distracting reflections on the screens otherwise this can lead to visual fatigue and stress.
It’s estimated that over 10 years ago 77 million people used a computer at work, today billions of people use visual display units as part of their job on a daily basis, with many using 2 or more screens. While many employees do not suffer from any ill-effects you should still prevent headaches or potential migraines from screen glare developing with the right shading solution, which in turn will increase your staff’s well-being.
Functional Considerations for Commercial Blinds
Consider the functionality of your blinds. Is the glazing vertical, horizontal, sloped or specially shaped? We are able to provide you with the ideal blind to meet your project’s requirements. Remember to bear in mind things like heat and glare from the sun.
There are two key elements to choosing a suitable blind fabric for the functionality of an office. The first is visual light transmittance, where the percentage of light coming into the building through the fabric should be below 5% for a fully glazed facade or below 9% if it’s half glazed.
The second element is thermal performance, the percentage of heat and solar energy being reflected by the blind which can have a major impact on air-conditioning bills.
Research shows that an office with the temperature of 25°C to 30°C can lead to a 2% decrease in productivity. Light coloured fabrics are great for reflecting the heat back out, however many light coloured fabrics won't give sufficent protection against glare. Our metallised window blind fabrics will give you the best of both worlds as you can choose a light colour while still effectively managing the glare as the metallic layer gives a consistent light transmittance across our entire range of colours. The most efficient fabric for solar reflectance is Decor Verve which is able to achieve figures above 60%.
Cost of Blinds
At Decor Systems our blinds are manufactured right here in the UK, meaning you can expect the high standard that ‘Made in Great Britain’ stands for, plus both the lead times and transportation costs are lowered for those living here.
Our blinds also come with a 3-year warranty for replacement parts. This should give peace of mind to commercial developers looking to minimise whole lifecycle cost of blinds.
Architects can benefit from easy access to Product Datasheets to create technically accurate and clear specifications for your projects on our website, saving you time and money at the design stage before making a decision.
Environmental Considerations with Commercial Blinds
The demand for more sustainable workplaces is continuously growing and businesses could risk having unproductive and unsatisfied employees if the environmental impact of their company goes ignored.
To help reduce our carbon footprint we give significant attention to the impact our products have on the planet. As a result we have carefully selected materials and our new Decor Neptune Environmentally Friendly fabric range is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles!
Our processes are certified to the ISO 14001 standard of environmental protection which means our commitment to the planet is recognised as we continuously improve our environmental performance through efficient use of resources and reducing waste.
We can even help you to achieve your required rating with BREEAM or SKA credit, the world’s leading sustainability assessment methods, so your office or commercial space can also be recognised as environmentally friendly.
Stylistic Considerations
Of course the style and appearance of your interiors are vitally important factors to consider.
Aside from the technical aspects of choosing your blind fabrics, other important features such as colour, texture and accessories are also important to think about as these can have a big effect on your employee’s well-being and productivity. Warm colours such as red, yellow and orange can create a feeling of warmth and comfort, whereas cooler colours such as blue, green and purple can promote calmness and serenity.
Our revolutionary Perimeos Ceiling Recess have a variety of transition types and finishes and are the perfect solution for concealing blind and curtain tracks, enabling you to create a slimmer and neater pocket than would be possible with conventional drylining methods.
Before making a final decision don’t forget to make use of the following resources which can be found at the bottom of the page on your selected product.
- BIM Objects
- NBS Specifications
- CAD Drawings
- Fabric Swatches
- Hardware Libraries
- Project Photos
If you’d like them in a different format or can’t find what you’re looking for send us an email and we’ll provide you with everything you need.
Have a project you’d like to discuss? Contact our friendly expert team who have over 20 years experience in the commercial window furnishing and shading industry!
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This article was written by Hugh McCreadie Senior Consultant at Decor Systems UK.
Hugh has been working in the commercial blinds industry since 1992, helping architects and designers find solutions to window furnishing requirements by providing technical advice, consultancy and backup. This includes major commercial, residential and hospitality projects.
