K–12 Education · Lake Bluff, IL
Lake Bluff Elementary School
211 shades solving two problems at once — spring-operated blackout shades as a classroom security tool, and clutch-operated solar shades preserving the rural views.
K–12 Education · Chicago, IL
Baker College Prep
122 shades replacing fragile PVC vertical blinds and mini blinds that kept breaking during class time at a Noble Network charter campus.
Project specification
- System
- SmoothMove® Manual
- Control
- Rollease R-16 clutches with #10 stainless steel bead chains
- Fabric
- Mermet E-Screen E7505, White/Pearl
- Openness
- 5%
- Shade count
- 122
- Sector
- K–12 Education
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Dealer
- Suburban Window Fashions — Doug Johnson
Fig. 01Background
About Baker College Prep — Noble Network of Charter Schools
Baker College Prep is one of the Noble Network of Charter Schools' newest campuses, opened in August 2013 with its founding class of 9th graders. Its mission is to develop students to become civic-minded college graduates who solve problems and serve as change agents for their community.
Ella Jo Baker was chosen as the namesake for the campus in the hope that her example would inspire the future civic leaders BCP aims to develop among their students.
The solar control challenge
Due to the high amount of sunlight the building naturally gained, PVC vertical blinds and 1" mini blinds had been installed throughout the ground floor. These could only act as a temporary fix due to their fragility and likeliness to breakage, which proved to be an issue for faculty during class time when the blinds needed to be adjusted.
The windows on the 2nd floor included a frosted film covering half of the glass. The frosted area provided complete privacy but did not decrease solar heat gain. The other half, completely exposed, was susceptible to flooring and furniture damage, increased solar heat gain and UV glare.
The solution
A total of 122 solar control shades were installed throughout the Baker College Prep building, outfitted with high-quality woven mesh fabric with an openness factor of 5% — ideal for this challenge because it provides exceptional view-through of the exterior while simultaneously protecting the interior from UV rays and glare.
A stainless steel bead chain hangs at the side of each individual shade, with bead-stops to prevent the shades from being raised or lowered too far, ensuring years of trouble-free usage.
Illinois Window Shade Company collaborated with Doug Johnson of Suburban Window Fashions to create an economical and manageable window shading system.
Results
The newly installed clutch operated shade systems successfully address each of the concerns of faculty.
Each window in the building is now equipped with top-quality window shades that remain easy to use and control solar interference during class time, all while keeping the view-through of the exterior visible.
Fig. 03Related
More k–12 education work
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Gary Comer College Prep
24 motorized blackout shades integrated with a school's data network, so staff can trigger classroom privacy from any connected device.
K–12 Education · Schiller Park, IL
Kennedy Elementary School
An addition and renovation project needing glare and heat control without giving up daylighting or the students' connection to the outdoors.
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