Off the back of the International Panel on Climate Change’s sixth report, one thing is clear: the need for urgent action to improve sustainable outcomes across industry is more important now than ever before. Released last year, the IPCC’s scientists have been tracking progress against the targets set in the Paris Agreement. They are now advocating for radical change - and a push towards the halving of emissions by 2030, and not 2050 - if we are to keep global warming to a manageable level in the long term.

It’s against this backdrop that Verosol’s window coverings offer architects and specifiers a means of implementing sustainable design principles, with impacts across a range of key factors. A specialist in the design and manufacture of interior shading fabrics and blinds, Verosol was founded with a commitment to sustainability and ethical governance at the core - making it no surprise that having a positive environmental impact sits at the heart of what they do. Here, we look at some of the most pivotal considerations underpinning their product offering.

Embodied Carbon

Embodied carbon – or upfront emissions – are one of the biggest areas of focus when it comes to measuring and reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry. Embodied carbon accounts for all the carbon emitted throughout the design, construction, and fitout of a particular building. With key bodies like NABERS now benchmarking embodied carbon as part of the drive towards Net Zero buildings, designers and specifiers must take close notice of the carbon profiles of products they specify. With this in mind, Verosol has received Environmental Product Declarations for its performance fabrics, enabling confident - and third-party verified - specification of their products.

Indoor Environment Quality

Amidst a general understanding of, and move towards, the sustainable benefits afforded by a biophilic design approach, maintaining good indoor environment quality is crucial. Two aspects are key here: light, and air quality - and both can be positively impacted by thoughtful choice of window covering. By controlling glare while taking advantage of natural light, sustainable window coverings can bring the outside in while still maintaining thermal comfort. Similarly, products that are low-VOC protect the wellbeing of occupants and improve the health & safety ratings of a particular building.

Verosol’s flagship SilverScreen employs a process called metallisation to apply a microscopic layer of aluminium onto a range of fabrics for use as window coverings. Doing this invests the fabrics with a range of material properties that promote a comfortable indoor environment as well as better sustainable outcomes. SilverScreen fabrics reflect up to 85% of solar radiation, reduce SHGC, virtually eliminate UV radiation, and significantly reduce glare – all while leaving residents’ occupants’ view to the outside world unaffected.

Energy Efficiency

While it’s important to have low embodied carbon (or upfront emissions) in any project, it’s just as important to keep the operational carbon footprint - that is, using sustainable fixtures - if a net positive impact is to be achieved. Verosol’s SilverScreen window coverings can impact this in two ways. First, automation: when incorporated within a building management system (BMS), an automated window covering can be optimised and operated with reduced energy expenditure and movement according to prevailing climatic conditions, for example operating whilst tracking the sun, or in-line with the building management strategy. Second, this directly correlates with a reduction in the need for intensive heating and cooling - understood to be one of the most energy-intensive actions in any building. Naturally, as pioneers in this space, Verosol’s range of innovative products is suitable for automation, and can be incorporated into existing smart buildings.

With these environmental considerations underscoring Verosol’s product innovation and development, their range of shading materials and blinds make for an efficient, effective and low-embodied carbon solution. So, as the need for climate action becomes increasingly urgent and a whole-of-lifecycle approach is prioritised, specifying high-quality, sustainable window coverings like Verosol is sure to provide lasting peace of mind not just for architects and designers, but for occupants as well.