Kinetic solar shading is an external aluminium screen that slides, folds, hinges or pivots across a window, so it blocks the sun when that elevation is in direct sun and moves out of the way when it is not. In Dubai it earns its place on west and east elevations, where the sun is too low for any practical fixed overhang. Which mechanism suits a given opening depends on three things: where the screen parks when it is open, how much installation depth the facade can give it, and how big each moving leaf has to be.
This guide covers the hardware: the four main ways a screen can move, what each needs from the building, how the motors are powered and controlled, and what wind load a moving screen has to resist under the Dubai Building Code. The case for adjustable shading over glass alone is made in our companion article, solar-control glazing vs external shading. All system data quoted here is the manufacturer’s published data for the Altest SH range. We fabricate that range at our Al Qusais facility as an Altest preferred fabricator in the UAE.
What is kinetic solar shading, and why does a Dubai facade need it?
A fixed overhang or fin is designed for one sun position and stays in place all day. A kinetic screen is a set of aluminium-framed leaves, clad in louvres, perforated metal, timber or another infill, that the occupant or the building management system moves into position when the sun is on that face.
External shading works better than internal shading because it stops the radiation before it reaches the glass. Scotland’s building standards technical handbook puts it plainly: external devices “are the most effective as they deflect solar radiation before it enters the building,” while internal blinds “are generally not as effective … as they absorb part of the solar radiation within the room.” That guidance is written for a very different climate. The physics is the same in Dubai, but the sun is stronger. It also identifies the orientation problem: horizontal overhangs suit south facades, but they are “not suitable for east and west facades as the angle of the sun is too low,” and “adjustable devices such as sliding and rotating shutters are best suited to east and west facades.”
Dubai’s geometry makes the same point more sharply. In our earlier calculation for 25.2°N, at 17:00 on 21 June the sun stands 22.6° above the horizon, in the west-north-west. Shading a west window at that hour needs an overhang 2.4 times the height of the glass. Few villa elevations can carry that. A screen that closes across the opening for the afternoon, then opens again for the evening view, can.
Does the Dubai Building Code give credit for external shading?
Yes, but only through the performance route. Al Sa’fat regulation 501.06 requires all new buildings to comply with the Dubai Building Code’s shade-effect clauses: E.5.3 generally, and K.7.2.3 for villas. K.7.2.3 says “the use of external shading is recommended” and that its impact “can be taken into account when calculating external load criteria.” When the performance method is used to show energy compliance, the impact of external shade “shall be calculated.”
The DBC also lists “impact of external shading factors” among the parameters that a villa’s cooling-load calculation must take into account (K.10.1.3.5). In practice, a screen modelled from the start of design can reduce the peak load used to size the plant. That only works if the screen is in the model before the HVAC engineer runs it. Our article on glazing and AC plant sizing explains why the peak, not the annual average, sets the plant. What the screen does not do is relax the glass. The prescriptive shading-coefficient and U-value limits in DBC Table K.13 still apply to the glazing behind it.
Sliding, folding, hinged or pivot: which mechanism suits which opening?
Every leaf in the range uses the same 60 mm sash profile and the same 4–10 mm cladding space, so the infill choice is largely independent of the mechanism. What differs is how the leaves move and where they end up.
| Altest system | Movement | Max sash (W × H) | Max sash weight | Installation depth | Parking space | Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SH10500 horizontal sliding | Slides on top or bottom track | 4,000 × 5,000 mm* | 400 kg | 60–230 mm | 300–4,000 mm per sash | Manual or motorised |
| SH10000 horizontal folding, paired | Leaf pairs fold sideways | 1,200 × 5,000 mm | 200 kg | 150 mm | 370–500 mm per leaf pair | Manual or motorised |
| SH10010 horizontal folding, cluster | 4 or 6 connected leaves fold together | 1,200 × 5,000 mm | 200 kg | 150 mm | 750–970 mm (4 leaves); 1,100–1,400 mm (6) | Manual or motorised |
| SH10100 horizontal hinged | Single leaves swing open | 1,200 × 5,000 mm | 200 kg | 150 mm motorised; 60 mm manual | 120 mm | Manual or motorised |
| SH10200 / SH10210 horizontal pivot | Leaves rotate about their own axis, singly or linked | 1,200 × 5,000 mm | 200 kg | 150–600 mm | 60 mm | Manual or motorised |
| SH10600 vertical folding | Leaf pair folds upwards into a canopy | 4,000 × 1,500 mm | 200 kg | 150 mm | 341–440 mm per leaf pair | Motorised only |
| SH10700 vertical hinged | Top-hung leaf lifts outwards | 4,000 × 1,500 mm | 200 kg | 150 mm | 120 mm | Motorised only |
Source: Altest system characteristics pages (altestgroup.com, systems 26–33), read October 2026. *Altest’s SH10500 data table gives a 4,000 mm maximum sash width; the description text on the same page says 2 m. Confirm the width for each project at design stage.
Read the table by the parking column first, because that is usually what decides the choice on a villa:
- Sliding carries the largest and heaviest leaves, up to 400 kg, and parks clear of the opening. It needs solid wall beside the opening at least one leaf wide. Leaves can share a track or step across parallel tracks, which shortens the stack at the cost of depth.
- Horizontal folding parks in a fraction of the opening width. A 4.8 m opening takes four 1.2 m leaves. As a single SH10010 cluster, those leaves fold into 750–970 mm.
- Hinged leaves park in 120 mm, but each leaf swings through its own width. A 1.2 m leaf needs that arc clear of balustrades, planting and pool edges.
- Pivot blades never leave the opening. Open, they sit edge-on in a 60 mm parking space, so the view is filtered by the blade edges rather than fully cleared.
- Vertical folding and vertical hinged leaves lift outwards into a horizontal projection. That is useful over a terrace door that has to stay passable along its full width, but these types are motorised only.
How are motorised shading screens powered and controlled?
Every motorised SH system runs on 24 V DC. That is extra-low voltage, so the motor and locking circuits that run out to the facade are not mains-voltage circuits. Altest lists a motor current of 1 A for the horizontal folding, hinged and pivot systems, and 10 A for the vertical folding and vertical hinged systems, which lift their leaves against gravity. On those figures, nominal motor power is about 24 W and 240 W respectively. The power supplies and cable sizes should be designed for the larger figure wherever vertical types appear.
Control is either local or central. Altest states that its screens “can be centrally controlled by the Building Management System or individually via a wall mounted switch / remote control in single or group mode,” and that electric locking is available. On a villa, that usually means a group scene per elevation (“west screens closed from 14:00”) with a local override in each room.
Altest’s installation note is the one to put in front of the MEP consultant early: the system “can be installed directly on the building opening without the need for any special provisions. The only necessary consideration is the wiring arrangement.” The cable route to every motor has to be drawn before the external render and internal plaster are applied. If it is left until the screens arrive, the result is surface conduit on a premium elevation.
What wind load does a moving screen have to resist in Dubai?
A screen is a facade element, so it falls under the same structural rules as the cladding around it. For villas, DBC K.8.4.11 requires wind design to ASCE/SEI 7-16 using Dubai’s own reference speeds. For a villa or townhouse (risk category II), that is a 3-second gust of 47 m/s at 10 m in open terrain, for a 700-year return period. The DBC adds that “in all cases, the design wind pressure shall be not less than 1 kN/m².”
That floor is easy to underestimate. Worked example, using the code minimum only: one SH10100 hinged leaf at its maximum 1.2 × 5.0 m has an area of 6.0 m². At 1 kN/m² it must resist at least 6.0 kN, which is about three times the leaf’s 200 kg (≈2.0 kN) maximum self-weight. Height, exposure and corner zones under ASCE 7 can only increase that figure, never reduce it.
Altest’s system pages do not publish a wind-resistance class. The fixings, frame and hardware for each elevation therefore need a project-specific structural check against the DBC load. A moving screen also has more than one position to check. A leaf that is open, edge-on or projecting catches the wind differently from one lying flat across the opening. Our recommendation is to define a wind speed above which the BMS parks and locks the screens, and to agree it with the structural engineer.
What does a kinetic screen need to survive sand and salt?
The moving parts are where Gulf conditions bite. The Altest range specifies stainless-steel rollers and alignment rollers on its sliding and folding systems, and gaskets with nylon brush seals at the perimeter. Both details matter on a coastal plot. Bottom-running tracks collect sand, so on exposed elevations a top-hung sliding arrangement, which Altest offers, keeps the running gear out of the dust.
The infill is a choice of finish and weight. Altest lists natural wood, GRP, glass, fibre cement, ceramic, perforated metal sheet, aluminium blades and ACP. Each one counts against the 200 kg or 400 kg maximum leaf weight, so heavy infill such as ceramic shortens the achievable leaf. Aluminium blades keep the weight down and can take the same powder-coat or anodised finish as the frame. Routine care for tracks, seals and finishes in Dubai’s climate is covered in our cleaning and maintenance guide.
How we would specify kinetic shading on a Dubai villa
- Start with orientation. Put screens where the sun is low and the glass is large: the west first, then the east. South elevations are usually better served by a fixed overhang.
- Choose the mechanism by parking space. Use sliding where there is solid wall beside the opening, folding where there is not, and pivot where a filtered view is acceptable and wall space is not available.
- Get the screens into the energy model and the load calculation under DBC K.7.2.3 and K.10.1.3.5, before the plant is sized.
- Draw the 24 V DC cable routes and the control scenes in the MEP package, not on site.
- Run a project-specific structural check on the fixings and hardware for every position the leaf can take, to the DBC wind load and the 1 kN/m² minimum.
- Specify the glass to Al Sa’fat anyway. The screen reduces peak load. It does not replace the prescriptive glazing limits. Pair it with thermally broken aluminium windows and aluminium sliding doors that meet the code on their own.
You can compare the four Altest shading systems we list against the rest of our range in the specification tool, or read more about the system houses we work with on our systems page. If a west elevation is giving your design team trouble, start a specification conversation with our team. We will look at the opening, the parking space and the cable route together.
Frequently asked questions
What is kinetic solar shading?
Kinetic solar shading is an external screen made of moving leaves that slide, fold, hinge or pivot across a window. It blocks direct sun when an elevation needs it and clears the view when it does not. The leaves are typically aluminium-framed and clad in louvres, perforated metal, timber or another infill, and can be operated by hand or by a motor.
Is external shading better than internal blinds in Dubai?
Yes, for heat. An external screen stops solar radiation before it reaches the glass. An internal blind absorbs it inside the room, where it adds to the cooling load. Scotland’s building standards guidance describes external devices as the most effective for that reason, and the same physics applies in Dubai’s much stronger sun.
Which type of kinetic shading suits a west-facing window?
Any adjustable type can shade a west window, because it closes across the glass when the sun is low. The choice is set by parking space. Sliding screens need solid wall beside the opening, folding screens park in a fraction of the width, and pivot blades stay in the opening edge-on. Fixed overhangs are the type that does not work well on the west.
Does the Dubai Building Code allow external shading to be counted?
Yes, under the performance method. DBC K.7.2.3, which Al Sa’fat regulation 501.06 makes mandatory, recommends external shading and allows its impact to be taken into account when calculating external loads. The prescriptive glazing limits on shading coefficient and U-value still apply to the glass behind the screen.
What voltage do motorised shading screens use?
The Altest SH range uses 24 V DC motors, which is extra-low voltage. Horizontal folding, hinged and pivot systems draw 1 A per motor. The vertical folding and vertical hinged systems, which lift their leaves, draw 10 A. They can be run from a wall switch or remote, singly or in groups, or from the building management system.
Can a motorised shading screen withstand a shamal?
It has to be designed to. Under the Dubai Building Code, villa facade elements are designed to ASCE 7-16 with Dubai’s reference wind speeds and a minimum design pressure of 1 kN/m². A 6 m² leaf must resist at least 6 kN. The fixings need a project-specific check, and a BMS rule that parks the screens above an agreed wind speed is sensible practice.
Sources
- Altest, system characteristics pages for SH10000, SH10010, SH10100, SH10200, SH10210, SH10500, SH10600 and SH10700.
- Dubai Municipality, Dubai Building Code, 2021 edition: E.5.3 and K.7.2.3 (shade effect calculation), K.10.1.3.5 (external load criteria), K.8.4.11 and Table K.23 (wind loading for villas).
- Dubai Municipality, Al Sa’fat Dubai Green Building System, 2nd edition (January 2023), regulation 501.06.
- Scottish Government, Building standards technical handbook 2022: non-domestic, Annex 7 — example options and measures to control solar gain.
- London Architectural Aluminium, Solar-Control Glazing vs External Shading, west-elevation sun-position calculation for 25.2°N.
