As part of her Masters in Environmental Architecture, Jessica wrote a thesis on the appropriate use of shutters on buildings, for passive cooling, reducing heat loss, security… the list of benefits goes on! The research project used empirical data taken from measuring temperatures in test cells to determine the comparative benefit of different types of shutter, in terms of reduced heat loss in winter and reduced heat gain in summer. The results were interesting: shutters provide little in the way of insulation in winter (curtains are just as effective; even insulated shutters were not significantly better) but provide fantastic reductions in heat gain in summer, particularly when louvred and combined with ventilation (external shutters were signficantly better than internal). View the presentation given at SB07 (Sustainable Building 07 Conference) in Auckland:
Shutters Detail