Create healthy, happy and sustainable buildings

Did you know we spend 90% of our time indoors?

We’re Somfy, and daylight management is something we’ve well and truly mastered.

Together we can create healthy, happy, sustainable spaces by transforming your building into a reactive, automated hub that uses smart building controls to effortlessly manage the flow of daylight into each and every room.

We know our bodies need daylight; That's why we design offices, hospitals, schools and other communal indoor spaces with floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights - to let in as much light as possible. But why stop there when we can make our buildings smarter?

Instead of just letting the light in, what if we could control its impact throughout an entire building, harnessing its natural energy for warmth, reducing its intrusive glare for comfort, and giving each and every occupant the optimum light level for maximum comfort, well-being, and productivity?

Harnessing Daylight Through Automation

What are the benefits of adding a smart shading solution to your building?

Health, well-being and productivity

Our relationship with daylight is well documented. The amount of light we have access to at any given time can impact everything from how awake, productive and focused we feel during the day. As well as the potentially harmful effects, such as screen glare and overheating.

Read more below about what we call 'The Human Factor' and the benefits that daylight management brings.

By embracing a smart blinds solution that reacts as the sun tracks across the sky, the occupants of your building can reduce energy use and associated costs.

In the summer months the shading is used to keep heat out as much as possible, preventing overheating and helping reduce the amount of energy required for artificial cooling.

In winter, it will let as much sunlight in as possible, capturing the solar heat gain and storing it in thermal mass, retaining it through insulation and transmitting it to the building as needed.. And after sundown, you can close the shading to prevent heat loss.

Smart daylight management significantly reduces the need for artificial cooling, lighting and heating solutions, making your building the leanest and greenest it can be. Ideal for the occupants and owners of today who are very interested in environmental credentials that a sustainable building can bring.

With climate change high on the agenda and new regulations emerging constantly, developing a smart building with intelligent functionality in mind is the best way to secure future market value, interest and a return on your investment.

Well-being (noun)
'The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.'

Light, ventilation, temperature, and humidity have an enormous impact on our welfare and well-being. Given that we spend so much of our time indoors, a comfortable indoor climate is absolutely essential to our mood, focus, and our ability to get things done.

The need for a comfortable indoor space in which to live, learn or work cannot be overstated.

Getting the right amount of daylight each day is crucial to maintaining our circadian rhythm. We take our cues from natural light when it comes to regulating hormones that can make us feel alert and refreshed. Long periods without natural light can have a jet lag effect, making us feel tired, lethargic, and unfocused.

Somfy’s smart blind solutions aim to prevent this from happening, ensuring building occupants are exposed to the optimal amount of daylight throughout their day.

Don’t take our word for it

Several studies have reinforced the impact that light can have on the average working day.

And when you consider that people are both the greatest asset and also the greatest cost for most organisations, the impact of reduced absenteeism and higher productivity can be very significant indeed.

3.75% median productivity increase [CMU]

Up to 25% less health complaints [Hartkopf]

15% reduced absenteeism [Thayer]

Up to 25% better performance on test of mental function [Heshong]

Up to 25% faster progress of students [Heshong]

The Sustainability factor

Our climate is changing and temperatures are warming. In the summer. Our buildings overheat and we use a lot of energy to cool them down which can have a negative impact on our environment. Did you know that buildings use around 30% of the world’s energy and produce 20% of all global CO2 emissions? At Somfy, we’re on a mission to help change that.

Making a change starts with your next renovation or new build project. The EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) recommends dynamic solar shading as an energy-efficient way to reduce the impact of our commercial buildings on the environment.

By harnessing the sun instead of battling against it, building managers can enjoy reduced costs and a comfortable indoor experience while doing their bit for the environment.

Working on a specific project right now? Jump straight to one of our dedicated sector pages to find out more.

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