Faber Blinds' first class design for university campus

When architects designing a new building for the students and staff at the University of Bedfordshire required a bespoke solution for its window coverings, it turned to specialist manufacturer Faber Blinds.

Cambridge-based architects mosescameronwilliams needed a neat and tidy way to hide away the window blinds for The Gateway – an impressive three-storey building at the university’s Polhill campus in Bedford – when they weren’t in use.

And after working with the experts at Faber Blinds were able to create a bespoke specialist bracket and box to fit each of the 200 fully motorised roller blinds in a tailor-made enclosure.

The “glass box” design for the academic building, which contains lecture theatres, seminar rooms and classrooms, staff space, and informal learning areas, meant that the large expanses of glass needed appropriate window coverings.

Hien Ngyuen, architect, said that Faber Blinds was selected because of its extensive EOS 500 Roller Blinds range with glare control and black out options that were available to use in the lecture theatres, as well as on the windows.

Ngyuen said: “We wanted to create a very welcoming, open space with lots of light but that also meant we had to have window blinds that could perform well and offer excellent results.

“Our design meant that we needed to have a specialist bracket and box created to fit the blinds neatly, so we worked carefully with Faber Blinds, who then came up with a bespoke plan to solve the problem.”

The solution was to fit the EOS 500 roller blinds within curtain walling mullions above and ensure they were flush with the ceiling level. The box also came with a closure piece and infill trim to achieve a clean finish. All the blinds within any room can be simultaneously operated from a wireless switch.

Mike Foulston, Contracts Specification Manager at Faber Blinds, said the EOS® 500 range was ideal for The Gateway building it is extremely hard wearing and its well-designed large shades make a dramatic statement.

“This project demonstrates how Faber Blinds can adapt its range to suit the specific requirements of any building project,” he said. “The finished look is streamlined and extremely elegant in what is a striking building.”