Kaynemaile-Armour Solar Reduction

What are the advantages of solar reduction? The urban heat island effect, caused by the over-reliance on heat-absorbing construction materials, means that cities are often 1–3°C (1.8-5.4°F) warmer than their rural surroundings. This puts significant pressure on cooling systems, increasing electricity consumption. The effect is further amplified by the use of fully-glazed facades, where direct sunlight causes overheating. In hot and humid cities, almost half of the electricity used by high-rise office buildings goes towards cooling.

How Kaynemaile-Armour works

By reducing radiant heat transfer from direct sunlight, the Kaynemaile-Armour mesh facade system improves the thermal environment inside a building in a cost-effective manner. While maintaining visual transparency, its unique design allows daylight to enter while managing passive solar gain within the building envelope.

Kaynemaile-Armour facade systems deflect up to 70% of visible and infrared light waves, which are linked to overheating. Solar gain protection is provided by the Kaynemaile-Armour system. Shading systems like Kaynemaile-Armour have been shown to be even more effective at controlling interior temperatures than expensive, retrofitted glazing in many environments.

Steel mesh insulation is highly thermally conductive, so when exposed to direct sunlight, their temperature rises, transferring heat into the building. The Kaynemaile-Armour mesh, on the other hand, is made of high-grade polycarbonate, an insulator. Even during the height of summer, we maintain a near-ambient mesh temperature, keeping the thermal environment moderate and reducing running costs.

Our three-dimensional mesh structure has cooling properties because a high proportion of the mesh surface area is always in shade, controlling temperatures. The cross-sectional open area cools the air as it passes through it. With two-dimensional steel mesh or perforated sheets, there is much less visible open area, less airflow, and higher air temperatures, increasing the building's overall thermal load.

You can significantly reduce the total heat gain on the building envelope with Kaynemaile-Armour. In hot climates, building engineers can reduce the air conditioning design and system costs, as well as their overall energy use, by protecting the building from harsh sunlight and not restricting air movement.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

Buildings with a low energy design or those that cannot be cooled by traditional methods, like parking lots, make ideal solar management applications.

Low energy buildings or structures that cannot be cooled with traditional methods, such as parking lots, make ideal solar management applications.

Loma Linda University Carpark Facade Case Study

Kanemaile-Armour was used on the facade of the Loma Linda University carpark in San Bernardino, California. Sun protection and airflow were critical facade requirements in the hot, dry climate.

Kaynemaile-Armour exceeded the project requirements, providing enhanced air flow through beautiful louver-like strips within a short installation time.

In Kaynemaile-Armour protected areas*, the surface temperature was reduced from 40°C (104°F) to 28°C (82°F) by the facade system.

Visual transparency means inside-out visibility

Kaynemaile-Armour's three-dimensional nature provides a consistent visual open area, providing great visibility from the inside out. The aperture of other flat panels is only open when measured perpendicular to the panel face.

A huge 140-degree panoramic view is provided by Kaynemaile-Armour.

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:

The Pacific Fair Shopping Center

Results of the Kaynemaile Light Transmission Test

The Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS), New Zealand, conducted an independent test on Kaynemaile mesh. Kaynemaile-Armour is available in a range of standard exterior colors, including bronze, steel, copper, obsidian black, translucent black, and silver.

In contrast, the transmittance of steel mesh can be as high as 53% - in other words, more than half the sunlight that hits a steel mesh can enter a building. On the other hand, the opaque Kaynemaile mesh has a transmittance of just 22% in the infrared and 30% for visible light.