Helping Investment Bankers To Keep Their Cool
Société Générale in Switzerland stops its offices overheating with innovation from 3M
Background
“Ever since we moved into this building in early 2008, the heat had been a constant problem for our colleagues on the 7th floor,” says Yvonne Mair, an executive assistant who is responsible for the furnishings and upkeep of the bank’s premises.
“Despite the window blinds and air conditioning, I was getting calls practically every day from people complaining that the room was far too hot.”
The staff only found the sun’s heat troublesome, but not the light, so the blinds on the windows weren’t much help. “What we needed was a specific solution to the heat problem,” adds Yvonne Mair.
Challenge
The investment bank is based in what was Zurich’s very first high-rise building. Although it’s built in the very simple, clean style of the 1950’s, it is listed as a building of historical interest. “When we were looking at ways to solve the problem, we had to be careful to exclude any construction work due to the building’s landmark status. Any external modifications had to be invisible and not reflect sunlight off the building,” explains Yvonne Mair.
Solution
Due to Société Générale’s very specific requirements—no mirror effects, no changes to the building’s external aspect, and no loss of light—the innovative 3M™ Sun Control Window Film—Prestige 70 Exterior was quickly identified as the best solution to offer notably more comfortable room climate
(61% solar energy rejection on double pane clear), greater protection against UV rays (up to 99.9%) without losing natural light nor changing the appearance of the building
(63% of visible light transmission on double pane clear).
Unlike conventional products the 3M™ Sun Control Window Film Prestige Exterior Series are optically clear and are non-metalized. As a result, they are barely visible, bring superior heat rejection without any uncomfortable sunlight reflection and do not interfere with electronic devices. These high-performance sun control films, which are comprised of several hundred ultra-thin layers based on a unique nanotechnology, are available in 3 different combinations of shades and heat reduction performances to fulfill every customer specific requirements: Prestige 40 Exterior, Prestige 70 Exterior and Prestige 90 Exterior.
The 3M Difference
It took just two days to install the Prestige 70 Exterior film at Société Générale which produced instant results.” “Once the film had been installed, my colleagues immediately stopped complaining,” comments Yvonne Mair. “It’s much easier for them now to conduct their heated negotiations with a cool head!”
Prestige 70 Exterior
On Single Pane Clear:
Visible Light Transmission ...........................71%
Total Solar Energy Rejected..........................52%
IR Rejection*..................................................97%
UV Rejection .................................................99.9%
On Double Pane Clear:
Visible Light Transmission ...........................63%
Total Solar Energy Rejected..........................61%
IR Rejection*..................................................97%
UV Rejection .................................................99.9%
*Performance data generated for a typical film on 6mm glass using applicable industry test methods and standards. Infrared rejection measured from 900nm–1000nm.
