Motorized retractable screens deliver passive cooling benefits at LEED-certified New American Home 2012

The New American Home 2012 - Keep the bugs out! Insect screens for covered porches & verandas

Application highlights

The architect Phil Kean of Winter Park, Fla, designed this show home with the goal of taking maximum advantage of Florida’s friendly climate. He selected walls of movable glass panels and large windows to let in light and create a seamless flow from the indoor to the outdoor spaces. The screens were then needed to maintain comfortable interior temperatures when the glass panels are open to deliver solar shading and control glare.

The mesh selected for screening the lanai connecting the living room to the pool area – SuperScreen 17/17 with 59% openness and 41% UV blockage– allows passive cooling techniques to lower the interior temperature of the home, reducing the need for air conditioning.

The screens installed on the large windows and the morning room feature Mermet E-Screen 7510 mesh fabric with approximately 0.64 solar heat gain coefficient. This mesh type provides up to 90% UV blockage, thereby helping to reduce cooling costs and protect artwork from UV related fading. Programmed to retract and lower automatically when needed, the screens maintain comfortable interior temperatures when the glass panels are open to the outside.

Location: Orlando, FL
Architect: Phil Kean Designs, Inc.
Product: Motorized retractable screens

The New American Home 2012 - Orlando, FL - join your indoor outdoor spaces with Phantom Screens

Transitional living spaces add usable square footage to the house

The architect wanted the design of The New American Home to make the most of the transitional living spaces, and maximize the functionality of the total square footage of the building. He therefore opted to screen the covered outdoor living areas; in combination with movable glass walls, the recessed screens create a seamless flow from the indoor to the outdoor spaces. By using the same color schemes and indoor/outdoor design elements, the two living areas blend into one and double the square footage of usable space.

The New American Home 2012 - Orlando, FL - screened in pool & patio area with Phantom Screens

We have been using Phantom Screens since 2006. We design homes featuring large indoor/outdoor living spaces and the application of Phantom Screens in our projects is what makes these areas so enjoyable. The screens not only keep insects out, they also reduce solar heat gain which is very important in hot and humid climates. In addition to using the screens in porches and lanais, we also use them with sliding glass doors in rooms that open directly to the outdoors.

– Phil Kean, AIA