Motorized Venetian Blinds in Hotel at Oberlin | Draper

The Gateway Center at Oberlin College is a mixed-use building made up of guest rooms, event and conference spaces, a welcome center, a farm-to-table restaurant, and the College’s administrative offices. The architects, Solomon Cordwell Buenz (SCB), and the College designed to create a highly sustainable building that would become the fifth new hotel in the US to achieve LEED Platinum classification. An additional aim was to achieve Net-Zero energy consumption and Net-Zero carbon production.

Sustainability Features

The building is expected to be among the top-ranking commercial structures in the US for energy use intensity, using 55% less energy than comparable buildings. To achieve this, the design incorporated a range of innovative features.

• Radiant heating and cooling
• Geothermal power
• Photovoltaics
• Rainwater collection
• Athermal envelope with rain screen technology
• Natural ventilation
• Motorized exterior Venetian blinds from Draper.

Shading

Because of the benefits of exterior shading, the architects chose to include long drop Venetian blinds on the west-facing elevation of the event space as well as exterior Venetian blinds for the hotel bedrooms. A shading analysis was conducted to look at the performance of the shading for the hotel bedrooms. Eventually, a decision was taken to move to interior shading in these locations, and incorporate exterior Venetian blinds into the design of the event space. Draper's motorized blinds allow views to the outside while providing effective solar control, reducing interior heat gain, and making a contribution to the outstanding energy performance of the building.

Details

Draper Venetian Blinds by Warema shading system prevents glare thanks to the system’s ability to retract, extend, or tilt the slats. Exterior and dual facade applications provide effective solar control and thermal comfort with optimal daylighting.