Controllable Shadovoltaic PV louvres


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SBL OFFICES, LINZ, AUSTRIA

Shadovoltaic Louvre

Colt has met the requirements of a low energy design for an office building in Austria which minimises solar heat gain, maximises the use of natural daylight and allows the generation of electricity through the application of photovoltaic technology.

Photovoltaic electricity generating cells are fixed onto the louvre blades, with an area of some 250m² producing 15,900kWh annually. This amounts to over 40% of the electricity required for the building.

At the same time as a comfortable internal working environment has been provided, the aesthetic appeal of the building has been enhanced.

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the design is the sun-tracking system which is completely autonomous and powered by a Girasol thermohydraulic sun tracking device. This device ensures that the louvres track the movement of the sun during the day without the need for expensive or complex electro-mechanical control systems.

There are 13 louvre sectors on each of the 4 floors. For the Girasol device to operate effectively, each of the 52 different sectors is linked to a solar absorber which calculates the position of the sun. This, in turn, provides the correct positioning of the louvres via a hydraulic system and actuators.

The project was supported by a EU Thermie grant, and the system was the first of its kind to be installed on a building in Austria.

The building has performed outstandingly as a result of the following factors:

The curved shape of the building results in a good relationship between the façade area and the useable internal area (the curved section of the building essentially faces south-east).
The louvre system reacts autonomously to the position of the sun and thereby optimises energy production through the PV cells.
Daylight entry is carefully controlled resulting in less potential for glare.

The building includes other well known low energy features such as a pre-cast concrete shell to provide the required thermal mass to cool the building as well as a natural ventilation system, and also has automatic lighting controls.

Client:	Stadtbetrieb Linz
Architect:	Helmut Schimek, Linz
Consultant:	TAS Schreiner, Linz
Facade Contractor:	Mandl + Eckl, Wagram
Design Partner:	ZSW, Stuttgart