No Blinding Light

Conventional venetian blinds were once a favorite alternative to fabric drapes and window shades in classrooms. Tilting the slats would provide a moderating thermal effect by reflecting unwanted solar heat, and in the heating season, helped to keep in precious building warmth.

Today commercial grade windows for K-12 classroooms often include internal features that contribute to students’ thermal comfort. One such feature is between-the-glass venetian blinds (sometimes called interstitial, internal or integral blinds).

Pella invented the first internal venetian blind systems for their residential wood windows and patio doors many years ago. Today, commercial heavy aluminum frame windows can be custom ordered with integral aluminum blind systems that provide flexible shading and privacy as well as enhanced human comfort. “Part of the comfort equation is improved acoustical performance from the additional air space,” says Winco Window Company technical sales manager, Kurtis Suellentrop. “Internal blind sash in a structural aluminum window can temper potentially disturbing external street noise, for a less distracting learning environment.”

Internal window blinds also add up to a more hygienic classroom environment. Since the blinds are suspended inside the glass panels, dust can’t get to them. In fact they never need to be dusted, protecting the students and teachers from breathing airborne particles when in-room maintenance is performed by janitorial staff. They’re a maintenance time-saver, too.

That’s because blinds protected by glass panels are virtually maintenance-free. Dust-free and never needing to be cleaned, internal blinds are 100 percent protected from damage, unlike exterior blinded systems. Unlike fabric drapes and colored shades, there is no UV degradation. Aluminum slats in some window blind systems are finished with an organic primer and baked-on enamel finish coat. Extruded aluminum rails are mounted with snap-in clips.

Some integral blind systems can be manually tilted and raised. Others can only be raised. Operating functions can be controlled by accessible tilt control knobs and lift cords made of braided synthetic yarn tested to minimum tensile strength of 130 pounds force, according to Suellentrop. Others can be motorized, enabling staff to control — at the touch of a button — daylight, the view and mood of the learning environment.  

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Integrates New Cleaning Technology

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently installed a new cleaning system designed to improve cooling efficiency on campus, according to a news release. The Facilities Management’s Utilities and Energy Management Unit installed new chiller tubes into two of the chillers at the university’s Central Utility Plant.

  • University of Kentucky Sees Positive Results from Energy Efficiency Program

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced the results of its Energy Program in Facilities Management, put into place eight years ago, according to a news release. Between the fiscal years of 2017 and 2025, the university’s campus grew by 13.6% while the energy use per square foot dropped by 19.2%.

  • California High School Starts Construction on New CTE Building

    Analy High School, part of the West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently broke ground on a new Career Technical Education (CTE) Building, according to a news release. The 15,000-square-foot facility will offer specialized facilities for students in engineering, welding, culinary arts, agricultural sciences, and design thinking.

  • AP Construction Breaks Ground on Two Projects for Austin ISD

    Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP) recently announced that it has broken ground on two renovation projects for the Austin Independent School District, according to a news release. The work at McCallum and Anderson High Schools totals 97,350 square feet and is scheduled for completion in January 2027.

Digital Edition