Spectacular glass buildings with a view over Lake Zug and the Swiss Alps: The condominiums on Waldheimstrasse in Zug are proof that a futurist façade design and living close to the countryside are not mutually exclusive. Three new apartment blocks have been built on a slope overlooking the town and in the immediate vicinity of woods. While the façade of natural stone blends harmoniously into the surrounding landscape, impressive sliding windows provide an unhindered view of the idyllic countryside.

The drawback with such transparent glazed façades is the high light and heat transmission. In order to make the striking glass building more comfortable for its residents, the architect Philipp Brühwiler – himself a resident of Zug – had to devise an ingenious sun protection solution: Automated vertical awnings have been used on the façade; these are operated by some 500 elero drives in line with the current weather situation. The objective of the system is to ensure centralised automation for the entire building, yet at the same time enabling its residents to control their awnings individually.

At the heart of the automation solution for each of the three buildings is the central control unit Objecta. Connected to this are a wind, rain and frost sensor for each building, as well as a sun sensor for each façade. These weather sensors register the current weather situation and transmit the measured data to the central control unit. The vertical awnings are operated according to corresponding threshold values which are programmed in this control unit. Therefore, with the aid of just a handful of sensors, the entire sun protection system on the buildings is protected from wind and rain, and the residents from excessive solar radiation and unpleasant glare.

The threshold values for the opening and closing of the vertical awnings can be adjusted by the residents themselves to a setting below the maximum values of the central control unit. Thus the users decide whether they wish to trust in the sun protection offered by the central control unit or whether they adjust the sun protection in line with their own wishes. The automatic control system can be deactivated by a sliding switch if desired, and the sun protection is controlled manually – meaning that man has control over the technology and not vice versa. An exception to this are the safety functions which perform their services even if the automatic control system is deactivated.