innovation.
A curiosity for the science of the built environment is what originally led to the creation of veil | engineered shading. Research is critical part to answering why and how people experience our spaces. Let's rewrite the definition of shading design.
2022
research:
Convention Center Design - Peek Behind the Shade
large venue and convention center market sector
nashville, tn
As Veil | engineered shading continues to expand shading consulting into new markets, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on where my career began, as a mechanical engineer designing in the large venue/convention center market sector. Unbeknownst to me, the coordination challenges experienced first-hand between the architect and engineer on motorized roller shade systems would eventually lead me down a path that would lay the groundwork for what is now Veil.
This article will take a dive into industry-wide challenges regarding roller shades on venue designs, we well as what our team at Veil does to extract incredible performance out of these under-represented products:
Part I - Overview of an Engineered Shading System
Part II - Sustainability and Energy Use
Part III - Flexibility of Space
Part IV - Improving the Outdoor Space
Part V - Acoustic Benefits
Author:
Ben MacKenzie, PE
2022
article:
Healthcare Design - The Role of the Roller Shade
multiple healthcare systems
nashville, tn
A recent article titled How Do You Design a Better Hospital? Start With the Light (Harrison, 2022), prompted me to address the integral role that our intelligent roller shade systems have in the modern
healthcare environment, and perhaps equally important – how consistently these systems are under designed. In this post, I will focus on several of the specific criteria that engineered window treatments address specifically relating to one of the key metrics of healthcare facility design: patient comfort. Here we will focus on four points:
Part I - Overview of an engineered shading system
Part II - Acoustical considerations of roller shades
Part III - Visual considerations of roller shades
Part IV - Interior applications of roller shades
Author:
Ben MacKenzie, PE
2021
research:
interior shading design at inpatient rehabilitation facilities
multiple healthcare systems
omaha, ne
Due to the sensitivity of patients in a rehabilitation setting, the shading system is a critical - yet often overlooked - component of an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Veil set out to understand how thoughtful roller shade design and control could help improve the patient experience in these facilities and understand how doctors/therapists interacted with shades on a daily basis.
Adam MacKenzie toured several rehabilitation and therapy facilities in Omaha to speak with the users about their experiences with the existing shading systems in their facilities. First hand user input is critical in understanding how to properly design these systems to curate the patient experience.
This report reviews our findings on a space-by-space basis and discusses system type, motorization, controls, and fabric selection.
See below for a link to download a PDF copy of the report summary, and don't hesitate to reach out to access the full report!
Author:
Adam MacKenzie, PE
2021
case study:
influence of engineered shading system control
sequences on building mechanical systems
baxter auto group - headquarters
omaha, ne
We saw a need for a real-world study of how our proprietary control sequences impact the performance of other building systems. We provided a no-cost upgrade to a fully-automated shading system. We aim to test several shading control sequences against a manual-controlled baseline to understand the true energy savings that can be realized by a properly controlled shading system.
This case study is in progress, stay tuned for the full study.
2019
research:
feasibility study of complex shading analysis
henderson engineers
lenexa, ks
This research project was delivered as a part of the Henderson Research Initiative. Reach out to discuss!
Abstract Excerpt:
Analyzing shading systems through TRACE 700 is a labor-intensive process that cannot properly replicate the intricate architectural geometries that are becoming more commonplace in today's marquee projects. This research project delves into the feasibility of using Sefaira to more efficiently and accurately analyze the effect shading systems have on the size of a building's mechanical systems while simultaneously showing the effectiveness of the Sefaira model as a tool to assess various daylight performance metrics of the solar shading systems through one cohesive and repeatable process.
Authors:
Adam MacKenzie, PE
Ben MacKenzie, PE
Nathan Vader, PE, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP