SDU in Odense comprises many different buildings, several of which have the characteristic rust-coloured facade. The buildings' windows are covered by matching rust-coloured shutters, which are adjustable and provide solar shading. The electric solar shading solution was devised over 20 years ago, and is still going strong today. Every day, as many as 200-250 shutters are adjusted thanks to two parallel LA32 actuators and a control box from LINAK®. Lars Tiedemann, Head of Section (Technical Support) at SDU, is responsible for the shutters and has been delighted with the solution so far.
A long term solution
Even though the solution was devised over 20 years ago, it still works effectively today, but with a few adjustments made along the way. One such example is that the spindles were not protected, and therefore had a tendency to break. Here a smart protection device was devised as a solution, which is replaced as and when required.
All shutters, hinges and actuators are checked once a year, to ensure there is no risk of crushing. Here, some of the older actuators are replaced with new ones, if they no longer work. As Tiedemann says:
”We try to keep on top of it. There's always a cost, that's just how it is. But we are delighted with the solution and have no plans to replace or change it”.
How the shutters work
All the shutters can be controlled both manually and automatically. As Tiedemann explains:
”Each room has a switch by the window, which controls all the shutters in the room and lowers or raises them. The shutters can also be controlled from a central switch if required. For example, we have set up automatic closing sequences for the evenings ”.
According to Tiedemann, safety is also a key part of the solution:
”Wind and weather monitoring ensures that the shutters automatically close when it gets too windy. And the solution also includes a battery backup in windows that are designated escape routes. The batteries ensure that the shutters open in situations such as power cuts,” he says.
Even though the solution was devised over 20 years ago, it still works effectively today, but with a few adjustments made along the way. One such example is that the spindles were not protected, and therefore had a tendency to break. Here a smart protection device was devised as a solution, which is replaced as and when required.
All shutters, hinges and actuators are checked once a year, to ensure there is no risk of crushing. Here, some of the older actuators are replaced with new ones, if they no longer work. As Tiedemann says:
”We try to keep on top of it. There's always a cost, that's just how it is. But we are delighted with the solution and have no plans to replace or change it”.
