Bolingbrook Levy Senior Center
The Joseph and Sarah Levy Senior Center serves the needs of the seniors of DuPage Township along with outlying communities. It was built through the joint efforts of Joseph Levy Jr. and DuPage Township to provide a beautiful and comfortable building which the seniors use as a meeting place. The Center provides exceptional recreation; state approved programming, vital camaraderie, hot lunches through the Senior Services of Will County’s “Meals on Wheels” program, clubs and local and extended trips. The Levy Center is available as a banquet facility during the seniors “off hours” to supplement the operational cost of the facility.
The Levy Senior Center was designed around an open courtyard in order to create a bright and close-to-nature feeling. However, in the Visitor’s Center of the facility all fifteen windows gained exposure from all directions and there was an abundance of solar light and heat. This large and unfiltered amount of solar light and heat proved to be a physical and economical inconvenience for our client, The Levy Center, because the elderly clients were highly sensitive to light, heat, and UV rays. Economically because the high temperatures caused for increased usage of air conditioning. Vertical blinds had previously been installed in their windows but these window coverings were difficult for the elderly clients to operate. The slats were constantly either falling apart or getting stuck and were not providing enough sunlight blockage.
Challenge
Illinois Window Shade Company was commissioned by Suburban Window Fashions to manufacture and install motorized roller shades for the windows in the Visitor’s Center of The Levy Senior Center. The Levy Senior Center needed a window treatment that could entirely block out any sunlight, decrease natural heat, and could be simply operated by their elderly clients.
Products Used
Control
– All Motorized Shade Systems were controlled with ultra-quiet RTS Somfy ST50 series motors
-Two 16 Channel Somfy RTS Remote Controls
-Two 5 Channel Somfy Remote Controls
Fabric– All room-darkening fabric used was Mermet Edessa Twilight 0% openness in the color “Beach”.
IWS Solutions
Illinois Window Shade Company collaborated with Doug Johnson from Suburban Window Fashions to create an exceptional and easy to use shade system for the Visitor’s Center. Motorized Roller Shade systems were installed throughout. This window treatment was perfectly suited for the Visitor’s Center because of its convenience and ease of use. With motorized roller shades, tenants and visitors now had the option to open or close the installed shades at the same time, perfectly positioned and aligned, with a touch of a button. No longer was there the concern of shade cables or strings getting tangled up or stuck.
A total of 15 Illinois Window Shade Company motorized room darkening shade systems were installed on all of the windows in the Visitor’s Center. These systems were efficiently fitted with Mermet Edessa Twilight fabric in the color “Beach”. This fabric is completely room-darkening and has 100% UV blockage which cools the interior of the facility and protects furniture and floors from the sun’s harsh rays.
The solar shade solution in the Visitor’s Center at The Levy Center not only looks great and compliments the decor but is also very easy to operate.
Results
Using a remote control, tenants, visitors, and employees could now effortlessly control individual shade systems from up to 60 feet away. These motorized roller shade systems are guaranteed to last decades.
Also, visitations and events were no longer going to be affected by the amount of sunlight coming through the windows. The room-darkening fabric that was used with each shade provided total UV blockage as well as solar heat reduction and protection.
The hospitality industry is working to design sustainable solutions that reduce facility construction and operating costs while enhancing guest safety and comfort. The proper window shade addresses these challenges in a cost effective and practical manner. Well-designed motorized and manual shading solutions not only save energy and money, but also optimize natural light.
As a nationwide leader in window treatments, Illinois Window Shade Company provides the most effective solar shade solutions available.
