CTL, University of Birmingham

With the new facility featuring floor to ceiling glazing on the south and east elevations, Levolux was invited to develop a solar shading solution for CTL that would allow the intended passage of natural light into the building whilst protecting against excess glare and solar heat gain.

Levolux provided 125mm wide by 600mm deep Infiniti aluminium box fins to the first floor of the southern elevation. Here, the deep profiles were fixed at an incline of 75 degrees. This unusual configuration provided both a strong aesthetic and an effective solar shading solution.

On the ground floor, the Levolux Infiniti 125mm wide by 200mm deep box fin was used. Here, the shallower fins could be used because the building design had already partially mitigated the risks of glare and heat gain thanks to the shading provided by the cantilevering first floor. The smaller variety of Infiniti box fins were also installed to the east and west elevations, set out diagonally to form a strong architectural feature.

The architectural intent was fully delivered by coating the Infiniti fins with a gold anodised finish.

The structural integrity of the installed Levolux solution was assured through the use of the patented Levolux Triniti® bracket, tying the system back to the curtain wall system and incorporating a thermal break to minimise the effects of cold bridging.

Levolux strives to provide value to its clients by solving technical problems, developing commercial solutions and managing technical risks. Here, Levolux was able to:

i) help provide a cost-effective solution by designing two different sizes of fin;

ii) employ its patented thermally broken bracket to tie the system seamlessly back to the glazed curtain walling system;

iii) pre-assemble the Levolux Infiniti solution off-site to help accelerate the progress of the works at CTL.