Blinds for Schools, Colleges and Universities

Transcription

1 Blinds for Schools, Colleges and Universities A comprehensive guide for anyone who has responsibility for window blinds in educational establishments nantmor blinds

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3 Vertical Blinds Description Vertical louvre blinds consist of two basic elements; a rigid aluminium headrail along which travel louvre carriers incorporating rotatable hooks and a set of louvres each of which hangs from one of the hooks. The carriers are connected to each other in such a way that they can be bunched together at one or both ends of the headrail or drawn out along the full width of the headrail. When drawn out, the distance between adjacent hooks is less than the width of the louvres. Therefore when the hooks rotate the blind to the closed position each louvre overlaps the louvre or louvres next to itself. Operating Methods Cord and chain Wand operation Mono control Electric operation Shapes Cord to draw louvres and a chain to tilt them Wand is used to pull louvres and when twisted tilts louvres as well One continuous chain draws and tilts the louvres Fully concealed motors behind headrail both draw the louvres and tilt them Vertical Headrails can be curved to fit in a bay type window or arched to follow the contours of an arched window(tilt only with arched windows). The louvres can be cut to match shaped windows such as those shown on the next page. 3

4 Vertical Blinds Shapes (cont.) Fabrics A wide range of flame retardant materials are available including: Heat reflective Black-out Wipe clean Machine washable Anti-bacterial Metal Solid PVC Child Safety Cords can pose a hazard with young children in particular Wand operated blinds do not have operating cords and chains PVC louvres tend not to have chains at the base of the louvre Cord and chain restraints can be fitted Crank or electrically operated alternatives remove the hazard associated with cords Vertical Fitting Vertical blinds can be top fitted (to soffit) of face fitted (to window or lintel). Extension brackets allow the blind to be projected clear of items that would prevent the blind operating such as window furniture. 4

5 Vertical Blinds Pros and Cons Pros Relatively inexpensive way of covering large areas Can vary the amount of light entering through the window Low maintenance One of the few solutions for sloping windows Cons Take up window cill so any items placed on the cill will pose an obstruction Not ideal for very small windows Not always operated correctly Not ideal for high use and abuse areas Vertical 5

6 Roller Blinds Description Contract quality roller blinds consist of a steel or aluminium roller barrel which contains the operating mechanism of the blind and on which the fabric of the blind is rolled. To ensure the fabric hangs straight a weighted bar is attached to the base of the fabric. The most common operating method is a self-braking clutch mechanism which is inserted in one end of the blind and simply operates the blind by means of a chain. On larger blinds sometimes a counterbalancing spring is used which is charged as the blind is lowered making the raising of the blind easier. Operating Methods Side chain Spring Crank Electric operation A continuous chain at one side of the blind to raise or lower the blind. Self-braking clutch stops blind in any position. A latching spring is contained in the roller barrel of the blind. The blind is pulled into position. The blind retracts once the spring is unlocked. A detached or detachable crank rod is used to wind the blind into position. Ideal for large blinds, blinds fitted at high level or where you wish to prevent unauthorised use of the blinds. Depending on the size of the blind either low voltage or mains voltage tubular motors are used which are fully contained in the roller barrel. Once fitted a whole range of options may be used to control the blinds. See page 16. Roller 6

7 Roller Blinds Shapes Shaped roller blinds can be made with manual or electric operation. Ideally the shape needs to be symmetrical and only certain fabrics can be used in shaped roller blinds. Triangular high-level blinds fitted to a school sports hall Fabrics A wide range of flame retardant materials are available including: Heat reflective Black-out Wipe clean Anti-bacterial Screen Child Safety Cords can pose a hazard with young children in particular Cord and chain restraints can be fitted Crank or electrically operated blinds remove the hazard associated with cords Fitting The brackets used on roller blinds are always fitted at either end but allow for face fixing (to window or lintel) or top fixing (to soffit). It is even possible to side fix roller blinds when fitted into a reveal. Roller 7

8 Roller Blinds Pros and Cons Pros Very robust system for high use environments Wide choice of materials Blind is either up or down Cons Spring operation not ideal for schools Very low maintenance Allow cills still to be used when compared with vertical or Venetian blinds Other Options Fascia System An aluminium fascia provides a neat finish by concealing the brackets and roller barrel. Interconnecting brackets Where blinds butt together it is possible to have one operating blind which drives other blinds by the means of interconnecting brackets. Twin System Two roller barrels and two fabrics used in one blind - allowing the use of a translucent or screen fabric and a dim-out fabric in one blind for the ultimate in light control. Printing Certain fabrics can be either screen or digitally printed. Guide Wires Guide wires positioned at either side of the blind have a number of advantages: Help prevent the blind from moving when windows opened Help prevent the blind from being physically moved in high use areas On long narrow blinds they help the blinds to roll up square to the barrel Roof Rollers Using either a constant tension spring to maintain the tension in the cloth or two motors working in tandem to achieve the same effect it is possible to provide blinds to any horizontal or sloped glazing. Roller Manually operated roof roller blinds at the University of Essex 8

9 Venetian Blinds Description Venetian blinds consist of a steel headrail which contains the blind s operating mechanism and aluminium slats which can be tilted in either direction to vary the amount of the light entering the room. The slats are stove enamelled to make them resistant to abrasion, peeling or discolouration. A steel bottom rail adds weight to the blind to prevent excessive movement and ensure the blind hangs level. On popular colours the headrail, slats, bottom rail and cords can be colour co-ordinated. Available in 50mm, 35mm, 25mm and 16mm slat widths. Operating Methods Cord and wand Cord and cord loop Mono control Crank operation Electric operation Mainly used on 16mm and 25mm wide slat blinds. A plastic wand is used to tilt the slats and the cords to raise and lower the blind. Mainly used on 35mm and 50mm wide slat width blinds. The continuous cord loop tilts the slats and the cords raise and lower the blind. A single, continuous cord loop which both raises and lowers the blind and tilts the slats. A detached or detachable crank rod is used to both raise and lower the blind and tilt the slats. Ideal for large blinds, blinds fitted at high level or where you wish to prevent unauthorised use of the blinds. Depending on the size of the blind either low voltage or mains voltage tubular motors are used which are fully contained in the headrail. Once fitted a whole range of options may be used to control the blinds. See page 16. Venetian 9

10 Venetian Blinds Shapes Shaped Venetian blinds can be made although some will be tilt only. It is also possible to make Venetian blinds with small cut-outs to go around obstructions - see illustrations on following page. Slats cut to avoid obstruction Slats All contract quality Venetian blind slats are made from an aluminium alloy and are available in a wide range of colours in solid slats with a reduced colour range in the following finishes: Perforated Hammerbeat Brushed Matt Gloss Child Safety Cords can pose a hazard with young children in particular. Cords can be fitted with connector which will separate if excessive weight is applied to the cords but can be pushed back together again. Crank or electrically operated blinds remove the hazard associated with operating cords. Fitting The brackets used on Venetian blinds allow for face fixing (to window or lintel) or top fixing (to soffit). Extension brackets allow the blind to be projected clear of items that would prevent the blind operating such as window furniture. Venetian 10

11 Venetian Blinds Pros and Cons Pros Cons Slats can be tilted to vary the amount of light entering the room Wide choice of slat widths, colours and finishes Low maintenance Slats can get dusty If slats become bent they are almost impossible to straighten Not as effective at reducing heat gain as high performance roller and vertical fabrics Other Options Audio Visual Venetian Blinds Using 50mm wide slats this blind has aluminium side and bottom channels to reduce light ingress around the sides of the blinds. To reduce light gain through the slats a special ladder tape is used. Generally manufactured in low gloss black- other colours are available. Hold down clips The bottom rail of the blind is held in position using special brackets. Ideal for use on the back of a door or opening window. Guide Wires Guide wires positioned at either side of the blind have a number of advantages: Help prevent the blind from moving when windows opened Help prevent the blind from being physically moved in high use areas Can be used on tilt/turn windows (max. angle 15 deg.) Wooden Slats Using a similar headrail to a standard Venetian but using real timber slats. Rarely used in school applications due to cost. Roof Blinds For horizontal or sloping glazing a rack arm louvre system can be made using aluminium Venetian blind slats. The slats do not retract as they are held in position but they can be tilted to control the light. These blinds can be operated either with a detachable crank rod or electric motors. Venetian 11

12 Dim-out Blinds Description Dim-out blinds use a 100% black-out fabric on a roller blind system but with a headbox to contain the roller mechanism and side channels and a bottom channel to reduce light ingress around the extremities of the blind. These blinds effectively control the light but are not guaranteed to be 100% light-tight. Operating Methods Side chain Cord Crank Electric operation A continuous chain at one side of the blind to raise or lower the blind. Self-braking clutch stops blind in any position. The blind has a non-latching spring in the barrel of the blind and a cord is used to pull the blind into the desired position. The cords are then wound around a cleat to hold the blind in that position. A detached or detachable crank rod is used to wind the blind into position. Ideal for large blinds, blinds fitted at high level or where you wish to prevent unauthorised use of the blinds. Depending on the size of the blind either low voltage or mains voltage tubular motors are used which are fully contained in the roller barrel. Once fitted a whole range of options may be used to control the blinds. See page 16. Dim-out Shapes It is possible to create a fixed position dim-out blind for any shape of glazing but fully operational blinds can only be made for square or rectangular shapes. 12

13 Dim-out Blinds Fabrics A limited range of flame retardant materials are available including: Heat reflective Wipe clean Child Safety Chains and cords can pose a hazard with young children in particular Chain restraints can be fitted Crank or electrically operated blinds remove the hazard associated with chains Fitting Brackets allow for face fixing (to window or lintel) or top fixing (to soffit). The channels of the blind need to be fitted to surfaces that are both flat and square to ensure a good light seal. If this is not the case then timber frames may need to be created first. Pros and Cons Pros Effective light control so ideal for science, IT and performance areas Wide choice of sizes and operating methods for most applications Cons Cloth can be sucked out of the side channels if a window is left open behind the blind A relatively expensive blind system. Sometimes a roller blind with blackout fabric will suffice Low maintenance Other Options Twin System Two roller barrels and two fabrics used in one blind - allowing the use of a translucent or screen fabric and a dim-out fabric in one blind for the ultimate in light control. Dim-out 13

14 Pleated Blinds Description Pleated blinds use a heat treatment process which permanently pleats the fabric and this is affixed to aluminium head and bottom rails. Predominantly used in shading conservatories these blinds also have applications in schools: Very small glazing - such as vision panels in doors Fire doors - as the blind can be cover the glazed area only without interfering with the panic gear Shaped glazing - pleated fabric has inherent strength so can be easily made into shapes Roof blinds - due to the way the blind is held under constant tension pleated blinds can be made to work at any pitch and at any angle Operating Methods Cords Constant Tension Cord loop Crank Electric operation On a standard window blind cords are used to raise and lower the blind using a cordlock much like a Venetian blind. The blinds are fixed at either end of the glazing and are held in position by constant tension. The blind can then be simply pushed and pulled into position. A continuous control loop is used to raise or lower the blind. Useful for high level or roof blinds - cord always stays the same length. A detached or detachable crank rod is used to wind the blind into position. Ideal for large blinds, blinds fitted at high level or where you wish to prevent unauthorised use of the blinds. Low voltage motors are used which are fully contained in the headrail of the blind. Once fitted a whole range of options may be used to control the blinds. See page 16. Pleated 14

15 Pleated Blinds Shapes Given the pleated nature of the fabric it is possible to make a whole range of shapes including triangular and regular shapes but with cut-outs to allow the blind to go around obstructions. Fabrics A limited range of flame retardant materials are available including: Heat reflective Black-out Child Safety Cords can pose a hazard with young children in particular Cord restraints can be fitted Crank or electrically operated blinds remove the hazard associated with chains and operating cords. Fitting Brackets allow for face fixing (to window or lintel) or top fixing (to soffit). Pros and Cons Pros Can be used for very small glazed areas Ideal for opening or sloped windows as blinds can be fixed to window Ideal for shaped applications Cons Not suitable for covering large areas of glazing Limited range of fabrics Not as robust as other blind styles Can be used in roof and sloping applications Other Options Pleated Guide Wires Guide wires positioned at either side of the blind have a number of advantages: Help prevent the blind from moving when windows opened Help prevent the blind from be physically moved in high use areas Allow blind to be fitted to tilt/turn windows 15

16 Other Options Nantmor Blinds are also able to supply and fit other shading and privacy products: External awnings and canopies Providing a shade during break times but also an effective from of sunscreening. Available with manual or electric operation. Soft Blinds Roman, Austrian or Festoon blinds using flame retardant materials and either manually or electrically operated. Curtain and Stage Tracks From simple, discreet tracks right up to stage tracks - either manually or electrically operated. Curtains Any specification of curtain design and size available in an extensive range of flame retardant materials, including 100% black-out. Cubicle Tracks and Curtains Suitable for use in medical areas and where privacy is required. All tracks are formed to provide the shape you require and a range of NHS approved, flame retardant curtains are also available. Anti-ligature blinds and tracks For areas where vulnerable people may be present we provide a range of anti-ligature options on our blinds and tracks. Electric Operation All systems are available with electric operation. In most instances the motors are 240 vac and are fully contained within the blind hardware. Once a blind has been motorised the control options are virtually endless and include: Individual control (single blind), group control (a number of blinds) or master control (all blinds together) or any combination of these options Control via wired switches, including key switches Wireless control via radio controlled switches or handsets Automatic operation via environmental sensors, AV or building management systems Electrically operated systems are ideal where: Other blinds and electrics frequent adjustment is required fitted to high level or inaccessible situations you wish to prevent unauthorised use automatic control is required child safety is a concern V 1.1 May Nantmor Blinds Limited,