VITAL ANTI GLARE ROOFING TECHNOLOGY
NOW IN SA MARKET
A leading multinational steel supplier has recently introduced an innovative
coated steel roofing material to the African market, which reduces specular
reflection and minimises disturbing glare from a coated metal roof.
S
peaking from the BlueScope regional head office in Cape Town,
BlueScope the company’s regional manager Africa, Arno Hanekom
says “Architects, designers and developers are delighted with the
launch of premium products, Clean COLORBOND® MATT and Clean
COLORBOND® ULTRA MATT steels.”
Formed into a variety of roofing profiles by leading South African roll
formers and roofing specialists, the product is available in a range of
durable and attractive colours that closely resemble the standard Clean
COLORBOND® range.
However, that is where the similarity ends, since Clean COLORBOND® MATT (AZ
150) and its ULTRA version (AZ 200) incorporate a new unique performance coating,
specially designed to reduce the problems of glare caused by today’s high gloss steel
roofs.
Daylight reflectance – the pros and the cons
In terms of modern green trends, it is desirable to have a roof of high solar reflectivity
so that inbound solar infrared radiation is not absorbed into the building, but
simply bounced back into the atmosphere. This reduces the temperature of the roof
considerably and helps keep the building inside cooler.
Daylight reflectance is defined as a measurement of the percentage of visible light
reflected off the material surface. Usually, when light falls onto a surface, a certain
percentage of light will be absorbed by the material, part of it reflected off the surface,
and the remaining transmitted through the material.
There are two main types of daylight reflectance; namely specular reflection and diffuse
reflection. A specular reflection occurs when light is reflected in a concentrated, mirrorlike material; while a diffuse reflection is scattered and unfocused, meaning much less
glare.
In the case of reflectance from exterior cladding and high pitch roof, the type of
reflectance is mainly caused by specular reflection. “With continuous improvements
in construction technology and material science, the demand for more aesthetically
pleasing and unique structures with low specular reflection has increased”, says
Hanekom.
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africandesignmagazine.com