In Australia's rapidly evolving architectural landscape, sustainable design is no longer a compromise; it's a necessity – and environmental responsibility isn’t at odds with functionality or aesthetics anymore. Galvanised by this dynamic shift, industry professionals are demonstrating a powerful commitment to creating resilient buildings with minimal environmental footprint that prioritise occupants' comfort and well-being while delivering on their unique creative vision. Achieving this delicate balance requires innovative products and materials that excel on all fronts, reflecting the same comprehensive approach to sustainability.
Verosol's flagship fabric, 103 SilverScreen Earth, emerges as a prime example of this determined ethos. And the Australian Bragg Centre, a revolutionary project realised through Wood Bagot's ambitious vision, exemplifies this pursuit of holistic sustainability, demonstrating the transformative potential of Verosol's innovative material.
Sustainability, sophistication and serviceability
Verosol has long been the leading innovator in the field of solar shading fabrics and blinds. As the inventors of metallised fabric, the company has led the charge with high-performing coverings that stand out when it comes to sustainability and aesthetics. As part of the company’s Core Collection of metallised fabrics developed in Europe to the highest quality standard, 103 SilverScreen Earth is an embodiment of their unwavering commitment to innovative engineering.
Designed to integrate into Verosol roller blind systems in both residential and commercial environments, the PVC-free 103 SilverScreen Earth fabric is engineered from a fire-retardant and Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class IV-certified polyester. The outer edge of the fabric is laid with 99.9% pure aluminium, resulting in a woven, screen-like construction with a refined appearance akin to a decorative textile.
This innovative semi-transparent material provides excellent outward visibility, which ensures the essential connection with the outdoors, and allows plenty of natural light indoors. At the same time, due to its exceptional solar reflectance of 62%, the metallised fabric dramatically reduces heat and glare, not only increasing occupant comfort but also doubling up as a superior energy-efficiency solution.
Verosol's commitment to sustainability and occupant well-being is further underscored by the numerous certifications the 103 SilverScreen Earth fabric holds. The aforementioned Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Class IV certification ensures the material is free from harmful substances, while the Greenguard Gold certification indicates low VOC emissions for improved indoor air quality. Additionally, Verosol’s innovative fabric has been awarded an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), Global GreenTag PHD PlatinumHEALTH, and Global GreenTagCert™ GreenRate - Level A, further affirming its environmental credentials.
The future of healthcare: innovation and empathy converge
With its unique combination of solar reflectance, energy efficiency, health-orientated properties and certifications, Verosol's 103 SilverScreen Earth semi-transparent metallised fabric is revolutionising the way we think about window coverings. And it’s no surprise that the material was extensively used in the ground-breaking design of Adelaide's cutting-edge clinical and research facility: Australian Bragg Centre.
The trailblazing facility spanning 15 stories and 32,000 square metres, emerges from Adelaide's health and biomedical precinct as an example of highly-considered design fusing innovation with deep empathy for patient experience. A result of Wood Bagot’s outstanding vision, the building houses both the ground-breaking proton therapy unit and cancer patient facilities, masterfully balancing the well-being of occupants with advanced technology and environmental ambitions – and setting a new standard for healthcare design.
Verosol's blinds were instrumental in achieving this exceptional result. Their signature Ambience motorised wire-guided roller blinds using the 103 SilverScreen Earth semi-transparent metallised fabric in colour 0031-White have been specified along the façade across the entire building from level 3 to 14.
Working in tandem with the perforated sun shading fins, which bring a distinct look to the building’s exterior, the semi-transparent material helps reduce solar heat gain and interior glare, while still enabling natural light and views to be accessible inside every room and space. In this context, these properties are absolutely essential for maintaining a comfortable and calming environment for patients – particularly those undergoing treatments that may cause sensitivity to light, and those who might be required to spend extended periods of time indoors. The fabric's bright white shade further enhances these benefits, maximising natural light and minimising glare while still providing privacy and solar control, while the motorisation enables the facility to respond to the changing weather patterns, and patient needs, drawing gentle parallels to the responsive nature of healthcare itself.
The fabric's outstanding solar reflectance offers further protection against South Australia's unforgiving sun, while the fire-retardant properties and the PVC-free materiality enhance the architectural ambition to create a safe and healthy indoor environment – absolutely critical considering the facility's clinical nature.
In addition to creating an exceptional indoor experience, Verosol's 103 SilverScreen Earth fabric was also instrumental in advancing the building's target of Gold LEED rating, which requires the design and materiality to achieve exemplary energy-efficiency and indoor environment quality, including reduction of airborne pollutants such as VOCs.
Sustainability woven into the fabric of architecture
Verosol's 103 SilverScreen Earth semi-transparent metallised fabric represents an outstanding fusion of functionality, aesthetics, and sustainability. Its highly-considered implementation in the Australian Bragg Centre highlights the material’s transformative potential to deliver a holistic, responsive and empathic built environment that fosters comfort and wellness of the occupants without compromising on environmental responsibility.
With a sophisticated, textile-like look and a stunning contemporary colour palette, the 103 SilverScreen Earth fabric ensures an exquisite finish and design freedom for versatile applications, emerging as a compelling material that might just have it all. Plus, this high-performing metallised fabric is compatible with Verosol’s other signature product – the 123 Earth Screen. The 103 SilverScreen Earth’s sister fabric strikes an exceptional balance of value, performance and sustainability, offering a remarkable non-metallised solar shading option for architects and designers.
If you’d like to find out more about the 123 Earth Screen fabric, look out for an upcoming article that will leverage a multitude of excellent architectural case studies to showcase a plethora of features that make Verosol’s non-metallised fabric such a popular choice amongst Australian industry professionals.
