Muttenz University

About Muttenz University

Exterior shading which can withstand high winds

Around 4,500 people study, research and work at the Muttenz University in Northern Switzerland. The spacious and attractively designed campus buildings provide students and employees with a diverse but balanced environment.

Switzerland’s climate and the specific location of the campus dictated the requirement for high wind resistance, as stipulated by the designers in the shading brief. The TESS™660’s sidelock mechanism stops the fabric blowing out of its guides and the single barrel drive mechanism keeps the fabric constantly under tension, to produce a smooth travel with no risk of the hem bar jamming.

The designers were keen for the systems to be integrated into the building and sympathetic to its features. An anodized finish for the systems was developed to match the colour of the façade while the side guides were designed into the façade structure, fully integrated and invisible when retracted.

Read about another project where Guthrie Douglas worked with designers to accommodate inclement weather conditions.