Lambrook School

Lambrook School is a private preparatory school near Ascot, Berkshire that continues to invest heavily to provide outstanding education facilities. The latest development is their £6 million Art, Design & Technology building constructed by Life Build Solutions.

The Requirement

Waverley were approached by Morse Webb, the architects, to devise a suitable solar shading solution for the gable end glazing which is one of the leading design features of the building.

The Challenge

Providing excellent views of the playing fields and the Berkshire countryside beyond, the large gable end glazing fills the rooms with natural daylight to create a stimulating learning environment. Given the importance of this design feature to the whole building, it was important that the blinds solution was as discreet as possible so as not to impede the view or detract from the minimalistic interior of the room.

This scenario is one often encountered by architects especially when considering for multi-purpose rooms: how to incorporate the maximum amount of glazing so as to allow as much daylight and connectivity to the outside world as possible, but also give occupants the ability to provide shade and room darkening when required.

The Solution

Waverley supplied and installed six ‘bottom-up’ tensioned roller blinds with angled leading edge to match the angle of the roof line. The blinds are electrically operated to allow school staff to open and close the blinds at the touch of a button. The fabric is housed inside an aluminium cassette which is fixed at the bottom of the glazing. Powder coated to the same colour as the glazing mullions, it is almost unnoticeable. The leading edge of the fabric includes an aluminium hem bar which runs inside a side channel that is fixed to the window mullions and runs the full height of the glazing.

The lowest point of the leading fabric edge is also held captive within a side channel and both fabric edges are fixed to a tensioned wire concealed inside the side channel which runs around a pulley at the top of the glazing. The tensioned wire pulls the fabric up to cover the glazing.

To ensure a good result, Waverley’s surveyors were required to take highly accurate dimensions. These were checked and double-checked prior to manufacture. The wiring for the blinds is concealed behind the blind cassettes to ensure a tidy finish.

The Outcome

The result is a highly effective, robust and yet very discreet shading system that can be operated with ease. It is one of many ‘wow’ features in this high quality specification school building.

What They Say

“We would like to say how impressed we were by the blinds that Waverley installed and I wouldn’t hesitate to make you my first choice on future projects.”
– Rob Butcher, Morse Webb Architects