Madico U
Company
The Challenge
An inefficient and visually unappealing glazing system plagued a large commercial building in Barcelona, Spain. Built in the 1980’s, the building lacked sufficient insulation leading to temperature disparities and an overworked HVAC system. The exterior glazing aesthetic was also dated and lacked cohesion due to the mismatched look of the windows.
The building’s facility manager sought out a solution that could both improve the energy efficiency of the building and its visual appearance.
The Solution
The building manager selected DTI Solar Protection Solutions, S.L.U. to evaluate the building and provide a solution. The professional installers at DTI suggested Madico’s Solar Bronze 20 Exterior film to improve energy efficiency, increase thermal comfort and create a uniform bronze color on the exterior of the windows. Madico’s bronze film features a neutral tone that appealed to the customer over other shiny or copper colored bronze films found in the industry.
The benefit of an exterior film application over a traditional interior film application is the improved visual appearance of the windows. Exterior films also greatly improve a building’s existing glazing system by lowering the solar heat gain coefficient and improving its U factor. Exterior films solve many installation challenges including inaccessible interior windows, multi-pane or laminated glass, and insulated glass units.
Results
The building’s occupants and facility manager were all impressed with the results of the exterior window film application. They have reported that the temperature disparities improved immediately, and that the HVAC system no longer works as hard to cool off the building, resulting in reduced energy costs. The application of the film will also improve the overall insulation of the building helping to retain cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter.
The overall look of the building has greatly improved as well. The exterior of the commercial building now features a sleek, modern design that competes with much newer offices nearby.