Well planned: Double sun protection in a Smart Home

If a sun protection is planned from the very beginning - either renovation or new construction - most unusual requests can be realized. For the extension of their semidetached house in the Ruhr area the owners opted for combined elements of rolling shutters and Venetian blinds that are integrated into the building almost invisibly by means of a system box. The integration of the GEIGER electric sun protection motors in a Smart Home solution offers a wide variety of functions for extra comfort and convenience.

The semi-detached house dates back the 1950s and is situated on a plot of 700m2 with a generous garden. Because of the good building structure the owner mainly invested in home technology: a new underfloor heating was installed and the electrical system completely renewed. In order to adapt the building to the family needs, the owners enlarged the living space by 50m2  at the back of the house. The single-storey new building is a wooden construction built according to the latest energy standards. A large glass front with sliding door opens the room to the garden and lets the morning sun into the dining and living area. The facade made of larch wood shows the natural building material. Inside, the supporting posts of the glass wall are visible, just like the wooden ceiling.

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Double sun protection, no compromise

In the living room the boxes flush with the supporting posts of the wooden construction.
In the living room the boxes flush with the supporting posts of the wooden construction.

The glazing - over 5m wide and 2.20 m high - requires a flexible control of the sun protection. To avoid having to decide between rolling shutters and Venetian blinds, the building owners rely on a combination of both systems. „The rolling shutters provide effective sight protection from neighbours and additional security against intrusions. And with the Venetian blinds we can control sun and daylight, " says the homeowner. Thus, the advantages of both sun protection systems can be used without compromise.

The glass front is equipped with four combined elements made of anodized aluminium that can be controlled separately. The anti-burglary rolling shutters are directly mounted at the window. The Venetian blinds are installed outside. They are reliably guided by lateral rails. Both sun protection elements are mounted together in a single top box.

As the sun protection has already been considered during planning, the elements could be integrated into the building both energetically and invisibly: the top-mounted boxes are integrated into the facade and are invisible from outside. In the living room they flush with the supporting posts of the wooden construction. If Venetian blinds or rolling shutters are in park position, the sun protection is completely concealed.  The special drives of the sun protection elements ensure optimized energy efficiency, since they can be integrated into a Smart Home system. This allows the sun protection to be automated to a high degree.

Sensitive sun protection drives with convenience

Each window element is equipped with two GEIGER electric motors and can be operated separately.
Each window element is equipped with two GEIGER electric motors and can be operated separately.

Each window element is equipped with two GEIGER electric motors and can be operated separately. The Venetian blinds are operated with the GEIGER GJ56 AIR and the rolling shutters with the GEIGER tubular motor SOLIDline AIR. The rolling shutters are also equipped with anti-lift devices for burglary protection. Since GEIGER produces nearly all drive components in Germany and carries out strict quality controls across the entire production chain, the GEIGER motors are characterized by an outstanding reliability and durability. Additional functions such as the sensitive obstacle detection, the soft-shutdown in the end positions and the anti-freeze protection not only ensure remarkable comfort, but also guarantee a long service life of all assembly parts .

Both drives also feature the GEIGER AIR wireless technology and can be integrated via radio into the Smart Home system of Loxone, the GEIGER partner. Not only the sun protection but also numerous other home automation systems can be linked and controlled via a central Miniserver. "The smart home technology offers a very high level of comfort," says the owner. "All shutters close automatically at sunset. - for visual privacy and burglary protection - even if we are out in the evening" .Other security features can be implemented:   by smoke alarm, all sun protection elements open and the lights go on so that the emergency route is free of obstructions and additionally illuminated.

The Venetian blinds can also be programmed on request. "The slats in anodized silver reflect the sunlight. By modifying the angle, we can exactly control the daylight inside the extension "says the owner. Thus, even when the sun is high, the sunlight can be reflected into the house. All sun protection elements can also be controlled by hand transmitter or via Smartphone App.