Living & Working With Sunlight: EN3 Sunprotection Charts a New Paradigm

In downtown Toronto, the shades descend. Protecting a collection of invaluable artifacts in the China Gallery of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), the sleek, streamlined shading system by EN3 Sunprotection does more than filter damaging sunlight, creating a comfortable interior ambiance through an elegant, technically sophisticated, and eco-friendly intervention.

For EN3, the ROM installation embodies the company’s longstanding principles. Combining energy-saving solutions with a human-centric and aesthetically driven approach, EN3’s integrated design, technology, and installation services, provide custom shading systems to suit the diverse needs of commercial, residential, and institutional clients.

At the ROM, the benefits are obvious. In addition to the vital preservation of artifacts, the shading system fosters a more pleasant environment, filtering intense light for a comfortable ambiance – all while saving energy. The same is true for EN3’s residential and commercial projects, where solar heat gain often accounts for substantial energy costs – particularly as glass comes to dominate contemporary building envelopes. Available in a variety of a translucency levels and a choice of backings, EN3’s systems offer aesthetically flexible solutions to suit a variety of styles. Without compromising outward visibility, EN3’s solar shading systems provide an aesthetically sophisticated way to reduce long-term carbon costs and create more livable spaces.

While the near-ubiquitous proliferation of glazed cladding systems has inspired light-filled environments, contemporary buildings are burdened by heightened solar heat gain in summer and rapid heat loss in winter. In Toronto’s varying climate, for example, our embrace of glass makes our homes more difficult to heat and cool, while often compromising privacy in tightly packed urban settings.

In this context, a state-of-the-art shading system that provides a flexible, wall-to-wall insular layer, makes a world of difference. Shouldn’t it be the norm?

In much of Europe, it already is. Yet, as European architects, designers, and homeowners increasingly enjoy the environmental and aesthetic benefits of solar shading, North America lags behind. Fortunately, EN3’s growing market presence – built on decades of international expertise and a mandate to raise awareness – suggests that the trend is beginning to change.

Working to advance North American standards, EN3’s commitment to combining superior hardware and technology with state-of-the-art design is reflected in a track record of consistent excellence. While the ROM brings an EN3 installation to a high-profile cultural hub, the company’s shading systems are equally at home in commercial and institutional projects – including Brock University’s new student centre (seen above), as well as a wealth of private residences, where shading installations are often complemented by EN3’s custom pergolas and loggias.

Keeping up with the strictest European regulations for non-toxic advanced textiles, EN3’s commitment to cutting-edge technology is about more than thermal performance. While good daylighting can improve wellbeing and workplace productivity, the fabrics used in EN3 systems are also PVC free, formaldehyde free, lead free, halogen free, VOC free, skin safe and recyclable, and (crucially) free of potentially harmful fibreglass – which continue to be used in most North American shading systems. EN3 Sunprotection’s  OEKO-TEX certified eco-fabrics are made from 100% Trevira, a breathable, and fire resistant PES Polyester yarn that ses a new benchmark in green fabric production.

As a pioneering Canadian consultancy that offers a fully integrated design, technology and installation, EN3 Sunprotection is uniquely well-positioned to drive changes in the market.

For architects and designers, EN3’s services allow shading systems – ranging from brise-soleils to integrated shades – to be integrated into the design phase of the project, creating aesthetically cohesive solutions. For homeowners and property managers, the wide range of solutions – including everything from loggias and pergolas – allows any property to be retrofitted as a more livable, healthy, and eco-friendly environment. Not least of all, the results tend to look good too. en3sunprotection.com