research

A curiosity for the science of the built environment is what helped lay the foundation for what is now NCSS. Research – in conjunction with the consulting firm veil | engineered shading – is a critical part of answering why and how people experience our spaces. Let's rewrite the definition of high performance shading design.

research

convention center design - peek behind the shade

Ben MacKenzie, PE

2022 · large venue and convention center market sector · nashville, tn

As NCSS continues to expand shading design and installation services into the venue market we have an opportunity to deliver this article on industry-wide challenges with roller shades on venue designs, and how the NCSS team extracts performance from these under-represented products.

This article will take a dive into industry-wide challenges with roller shades on venue designs, and how the NCSS team extracts performance from these under-represented products.

Part I - Overview of an Engineered Shading System

Part II - Sustainability and Energy Use

Part III - Flexibility of Space

Part IV - Improving the Outdoor Space

Part V - Acoustic Benefits

article

healthcare design - the role of the roller shade

Ben MacKenzie, PE

2022 · multiple healthcare systems · nashville, tn

How intelligent roller shade systems support patient comfort in the modern healthcare environment — and why they are consistently under-designed.

Part I - Overview of an engineered shading system

Part II - Acoustical considerations of roller shades

Part III - Visual considerations of roller shades

Part IV - Interior applications of roller shades

research

interior shading design at inpatient rehabilitation facilities

Adam MacKenzie, PE

2021 · multiple healthcare systems · omaha, ne

Due to the sensitivity of patients in a rehabilitation setting, the shading system is a critical - yet often overlooked - component of an inpatient rehabilitation facility. In partnership with veil | engineered shading, NCSS set out to understand how thoughtful roller shade design and control could help improve the patient experience in these facilities and understand how doctors/therapists interacted with shades on a daily basis.

One of our partners, Adam MacKenzie, toured several rehabilitation and therapy facilities in Omaha to speak with the users about their experiences with the existing shading systems in their facilities. First hand user input is critical in understanding how to properly design these systems to curate the patient experience.

This report reviews our findings on a space-by-space basis and discusses system type, motorization, controls, and fabric selection.

Space-by-space findings on motorization, controls, fabric selection

PDF summary available; full report on request

Baxter Auto Group HQ case study

case study

influence of engineered shading system control sequences on building mechanical systems

Ben MacKenzie, PE

2021 · baxter auto group - headquarters · omaha, ne

A real-world study of how NCSS's proprietary control sequences impact the performance of other building systems. Several shading control sequences will be tested against a manual-controlled baseline to understand true energy savings.

Case study in progress - full results forthcoming.

Sefaira feasibility study

research

feasibility study of complex shading analysis

Adam MacKenzie, PE · Ben MacKenzie, PE · Nathan Vader, PE, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP

2019 · lenexa, ks

This research project was delivered as a part of the Henderson Research Initiative. Reach out to discuss its results.

Abstract Excerpt:

This project explored using Sefaira to more efficiently and accurately analyze the effect of shading systems on building mechanical sizing while simultaneously assessing daylight performance metrics through one cohesive, repeatable process.

Sefaira vs. TRACE 700 for complex architectural geometries

Integrated mechanical sizing + daylight performance analysis