01
Glare Control for Tech Offices
Solar shade specification engineered around monitor-facing desks — east-west orientation analysis, screen reflectance modeling, and fabric selection to eliminate glare without blocking views.
Solar Shades · Openness-Factor Screen Fabrics
Solar screen fabrics tuned by openness factor cut monitor glare, solar heat gain, and UV fade — while preserving the Bay Area view the rent pays for. Specified, documented for Title 24, and installed from our own San Francisco facility since 1998.
4.9 ratingSince 1998 · 26+ yearsTitle 24 documentation standard
Openness 1% · 3% · 5% · 10%Up to 99% UV blocked — typicalTitle 24 Part 6 documentedSHGC certified per fabricGREENGUARD Gold fabricsLEED v4.1 · WELL contributionsMechoShadeHunter DouglasPhiferMermetDaylight harvesting ready
Openness factor
Openness factor is the percentage of a solar screen that is open weave. Lower numbers block more glare, heat, and UV; higher numbers keep the view crisp. We tune it per facade — a 3% fabric behaves very differently on a west wall than in a north-facing conference room.
Representative fabric behavior, typical of 1–10% openness solar screens. Exact visible transmittance, SHGC, and UV figures are documented per fabric on manufacturer-certified spec sheets.
The commercial standard
The workhorse of commercial solar shading — strong glare and heat control with a clearly legible view. What we specify most often.
Best for: Open-plan offices, conference rooms, most Bay Area facades
Glare control84 / 100
Heat rejection78 / 100
View clarity66 / 100
Not sure which weave your facade needs? Send the elevation — we evaluate orientation, interior layout, and monitor positions before we ever quote a fabric. Ask us which openness fits
The physics of the glass line
A solar screen intercepts solar energy before it becomes cooling load, screen glare, or bleached furniture. The right fabric turns a west wall from a liability into daylight.
99%
up to · typical
of UV radiation blocked by dense 1% openness solar screens — protecting finishes, flooring, and artwork from fade.
45%
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
reduction in cooling load achievable with automated solar shading on commercial glass.
4
1% · 3% · 5% · 10%
openness factors stocked and specified per facade orientation — never one weave for the whole building.
26+
since 1998
years specifying, fabricating, and installing solar shading from our San Francisco facility.
UV figures are typical of commercial solar screen fabrics and vary by weave; exact values are certified per fabric. Cooling-load source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
California compliance
Solar shades are the compliance workhorse of California glass — SHGC performance for Title 24 Part 6, daylight and quality-view credits for LEED v4.1 and WELL, and low-emission fabrics for the projects that audit everything. The paperwork ships with the shades.
Title 24 Part 6
California Energy Code
SHGC and daylighting documentation for interior shading assemblies, prepared for plan check and final inspection — compliance packages are standard on every California commercial solar shade project.
LEED v4.1
Daylight · views · energy
Solar shades that contribute to LEED v4.1 EAc2 (daylight) and IEQc8 (glare control) credits — preserving quality views while managing solar load, with full documentation provided.
WELL
Visual lighting comfort
Glare-managed daylight supports WELL Building Standard Visual Lighting credits — screens stay readable, circadian daylight stays in the room.
GREENGUARD Gold
Low-emission fabrics
GREENGUARD Gold certified fabrics available across our solar shade lines — important for LEED credits and sensitive lab or healthcare environments.
What ships with every project
The documentation package, standard.
Architects specify us because the numbers arrive with the fabric — no chasing manufacturers at submittal time.
- 01SHGC values and U-Factor data, certified by the fabric manufacturer
- 02Visible light and daylight transmittance figures per fabric
- 03Openness factor specification per facade orientation
- 04GREENGUARD Gold and fire-certification documentation
- 05Fabric swatch submittals and shop drawings for architectural review
Where they work hardest
Deep inventory of MechoShade, Hunter Douglas, Phifer, and Mermet solar fabrics — we can usually match a spec without value engineering.
02
High-Rise Viewshed Preservation
For San Francisco towers, the view is the amenity. Open-weave dark fabrics keep the skyline crisp from the inside while cutting glare and solar gain at the glass line.
03
West-Facing Glass & Heat Gain
Afternoon sun is the hardest problem in Bay Area shading. Dense 1–3% weaves — or dual-shade assemblies pairing solar screens with blackout — tame the western load.
04
Openness Factor per Facade
Expert guidance across 1%, 3%, 5%, and 10% fabrics, evaluated against building orientation, interior layout, and occupant comfort — a 3% fabric on a west wall performs very differently than in a north-facing conference room.
05
Motorized & Daylight Harvesting
Motorized solar shades with Lutron, Somfy, or Crestron control — photosensor automation for real-time glare response and scheduled operation for energy savings.
06
Exterior Solar Shades
Wind-rated exterior solar screens intercept solar energy before it ever reaches the glass — the highest-performing option for heat rejection on exposed elevations.
From facade to fabric
One contractor from first site walk to final commissioning — since 1998.
01
Site & orientation assessment
We walk the space, map facade orientation and monitor positions, and measure every opening to daylight-opening dimensions.
02
Fabric & openness specification
Openness factor tuned per elevation, with physical swatches from MechoShade, Hunter Douglas, Phifer, and Mermet lines to review in your light.
03
Documentation
Title 24 SHGC and U-Factor data, GREENGUARD Gold certificates, and submittal packages — delivered before fabrication begins.
04
Fabrication
Shades built to verified dimensions at our own San Francisco facility on Dorman Avenue — no drop-ship guesswork.
05
Installation & commissioning
Clean installation by our crews, with motorization programmed for daylight harvesting and glare response where specified.
Solar Shade Quotes · Bay Area Wide
Title 24 documentation, SHGC data, and fabric samples — ready fast. Send the elevations and we’ll come back with an openness recommendation per facade, not a one-size price.
Cutting Edge Drapery · 15 Dorman Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124Info@cuttingedgedrapery.comFax 1-415-824-6001