ABSTRACT
By denition, a brise-soleil performs the specic function of reducing heat gain within a structure by deecting sunlight. Within that denition there are dierent categories of brise-soleils – each with dierent lineages (Figure 20.3). Le Corbusier rst introduced the brise-soleil into his lexicon of Modern architecture with his unbuilt Algiers projects1 (Figure 20.4). From there it can be traced through the wide-ranging work of other Modernists, whose work would be unrelated in almost every aspect, from Oscar Niemeyer, to Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry with their far-reaching projects in Africa, to Richard Neutra’s lightweight models, to the pattern-based screens of Erwin Hauer. e brise-soleil has evolved from simple, xed forms of vertical or horizontal louvers to sophisticated, computerized forms in projects like Jean Nouvel’s Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Brise-soleils have become more accepted as a building feature since the early 1990s (Figure 20.5). is rich and varied history arms the brise-soleil as a persistent architectural type.
