about us.
Shading systems have transformed - nearly overnight - from a simple manual device to a fully automated daylight control system. This rapid increase in complexity has created a new role in building design and delivery: the shading design consultant.
We are your partner in translating an owner's vision into a functioning and integrated shading system that works in harmony with mechanical, lighting, and life-safety systems.
Together, let's rewrite shading design.
the story
During our careers as professional building design engineers, we saw a recurring need to improve how shading systems are designed, integrated, and built. All too often, we were left without answers when trying to quantify shading performance, how motorized shades impacted our mechanical loads, or how they would interact - if at all - with our lighting systems.
Fellow designers and contractors experienced headache after headache with seemingly every aspect of a motorized shading system. We turned to our contacts in the industry – interior designers, architects, and engineers – to discuss potential solutions.
Shading systems fill a similar niche in the industry as door hardware, where there are often too many specification divisions, designers, and contractors involved to properly deliver these systems in the current AEC environment. Looking at interior shading systems, many projects have Division 12 dictating physical properties, Division 23 responsible for mechanical integration, Division 26 responsible for electrical scope and lighting integration, and Division 27 responsible for additional infrastructure – there are simply too many parties covering too many disjointed parts of the system to avoid errors.
Due to the complexity of shading systems and tightening of project schedules increasing the pressures on design teams, we saw all too often architects and engineers relying on cut-and-paste solutions from past projects in an effort to get the project out the door (we get it, roller shades are one of the last products detailed in design). This was fundamentally against our principals as professional engineers and passionate designers. This was clearly not the way to properly deliver a cost-effective system to an owner, one that realized the true vision of their building. Veil has a holistic approach during the design phase to translate your vision of the shading system into a detailed construction document set.
Thus veil | engineered shading was founded as a solution to architects, engineers, general contractors, and owners who are looking not only to correctly design and install shading systems, but also to push the standard that defines a modern high-performance building.