Vancouver’s Olympic Athletes’ Village is a showcase of sustainable living. Forward-thinking ideas such as wider balconies, exterior corridors, cooling ponds and additional insulation have helped reduce energy consumption and turned a former industrial brownfield into a very special world-class waterfront development. The Village, composed of low- and mid-rise apartment buildings, will be a home away from home for nearly 3,000 world-class athletes. After the games, the 1,100 units will form the hub of a rejuvenated urban framework.
          Contributing to the Village’s LEED Gold designation is an intelligent, breathing layer of exterior solar shades which help self-regulate the buildings’ temperatures. This efficient shading system is controlled by sun and wind sensors.
     SunProject developed a custom installation plan to meet the challenging building requirements for the Village, including bracket assemblies for seismic stability. The wide variety of colours selected and special sun control fabrics adds visual interest and elevates the overall building design.
         Sustainable design. Automated technology. Improved living environment. SunProject is thinking forward.

The ultimate goal, aside from sustainability was to maximize energy efficiency by providing a livable interior comfort level that does not rely on air conditioning.
          While northern windows are not subject to significant Solar Gain, the larger southern windows have been protected by Sun Project's Exterior Solar Shades. To take advantage of the views, the East and West façades have large windows and are also fitted with Exterior Solar Shades. All shades are controlled automatically by Sun Sensors to maximize their effeciency by lowering the shades when the sun impacts on the particular façade. Individual overrides are provided so that suite owners can control the shades for personalized comfort and view retention.
          While the Solar Shade has been with us for many years as an interior component for heat and glare control, it has recently evolved to become a critical component of sustainable, exterior building design. Sunproject's FM41 Exterior Sun Shade System is one of the most advanced products on the market. Its automated systems react to changing weather conditions and instantly adjust the shades in order to control heat, glare and light - constantly optimizing the systems performance and maximizing the building's energy efficiency. Its full automation capability, durability, material selection and compelling design makes the FM41 a product of the future.

The built-in flexibility of SunProject's FM41 Exterior Sun Shade System supports a variety of installation techniques, a critical advantage in a project as complex as the Olympic Atheletes' Village.
          Techniques include: simple under-slab installation, extended projection from building edge, attachment to other lighting control features and installation to the base building. This range of attachment options allows the shades to be mounted on the outside
of almost any building envelope. Of course, not every project is on a scale as grand as the Athletes'
Village. Our products work no matter what size your project is, from private homes to large
apartment buildings.

The Olympic Atheletes' Village is a flagship example of sustainable design. To be included in the integrated process with some of the world's best architects and engineers to rethink how a building manages its enegy consumption was a rewarding opportunity. We learned and contributed much.
          Global warming has motivated e worldth; the world has inspired Sun Project. Sustainable temperature, light and glare control through automated window shades, controlled by the sun and the resident to improve the building's living environment is our work's purpose. Our smart systems reduce energy consumption, operate seamlessly and harmonize with a building's aesthetic.