UPO-250 aluminium slats at the INS Baix Empordà
Palafrugell is a municipality in the province of Girona, which is part of the Baix Empordà region. It has a population of more than 20,000 inhabitants, which triples in summer due to its setting within the Costa Brava.
The economy of the town has been closely linked to the production of cork, a material that acquires special prestige when it comes from this town and whose history is reflected in the Cork Museum of Palafrugell.
The INS Baix Empordà was founded in 1974, and as its needs grew, it changed its location until it reached its current one, already in 1984. In 2007, the facilities were expanded and part of the buildings of the centre were modernised, which accommodates secondary, baccalaureate and vocational training students, both intermediate and higher level.
Location: Palafrugell, Catalonia
Client: Osg serveis grup
Centre’s website: INS Baix Empordà
Typology: Educational architecture
Sun protection needs
The actions of this phase of the INS Baix Empordà are part of the energy efficiency improvement projects that are promoted with the help of European funds. These funds, whose origin dates back to the Covid 19 pandemic, are focused on offering an improvement in habitability and comfort in classrooms, as well as reducing energy consumption.
The application to the project has consisted of incorporating large-format adjustable aluminium slat lattices, to project a shadow factor, and regulate the direct passage of natural light into the rooms. This factor is especially important in this center because they already have training on a digital basis, and many of the students already work with chromebooks and tablets.
Our contribution to the project
For this project, the
UPO-250
aluminium slat lattice has been chosen. It is one of the most popular models in our range, both for its high maximum slat lengths and for the balanced price range in which it is presented. As it is a model with its aluminium slats, it has an extraordinary outdoor performance, which guarantees a long life, always with a smooth and simple operation.
Aesthetically, this is a very versatile model because it allows the configuration of frames without horizontal crossbars, as in this case, which lighten the linearity of the façade, without any reduction in its functionality. This factor, added to the choice of the RAL 9006 silver colour of the slats, contributes to modernising the exterior appearance of the building. It’s also worth noting that this is one of the most popular colours in our range, and in view of the images, it’s perfectly logical.
To compensate for the difference in resistance between a complete perimeter frame and a frame in a “mainel-only” configuration, our technical department has designed and calculated support systems that offer equivalent resistance to weather factors, and that have allowed us to separate the aluminum slats from the inside of the jambs, to allow a complete rotation of the slats, which measure 25cms wide. This entire system has been specifically designed and manufactured so that the operation of the slats can continue to be manual, a system that has proven to be reliable and very durable, with practically zero maintenance cost.
