BANK OF CHINA Lyon - In the historic center, home to the Lumière brothers, Bandalux blinds filter light and integrate into Feng Shui architecture

Located in the heart of the capital of Gaul, right where the Lumière brothers set up the world’s second cinema in 1986, the Bank of China’s Lyon branch has created a design space.

Interior architect Thomas Delahaye carried out the renovations, and inspired by the building’s history, he associated the bank’s values and visual identity to those of cinematographic art. The glass façades facing south-southwest required effective and aesthetically appealing solar protection.

“Considering that the location is a busy commercial area, we needed to install interior blinds that could offer sufficient light for the comfort of our workers and clients while maintaining privacy and confidentiality from the outside,” explains Cécile Ravet, executive assistant at Bank of China Lyon.

To ensure optimal light management and adhere to security requirements, the agency equipped itself with 25 Bandalux roller shades with box systems, Polyscreen® 351 fabric and an electric operating system run by a Somfy IO tubular motor and remote control with separate and group functions.

The shades perfectly integrate into the interior architecture thanks to the elegance of their white enameled boxes and dual-color Polyscreen® 351 fabric in white/grey, which are tones that match the color scheme of the entity and its logo. With a perfect balance between transparency (1% open position) and light filter, the fabric guarantees thermal comfort and exceptional lighting. This system is extremely durable (the shades have been used 4 times a day, every working day for 4 years and they are still like new) and has impeccable performance. It does not emit odors or substances that are harmful to people’s health or the environment.

“In addition to the interior roller shades, we also needed to find a solution for our main meeting room, formed by a curved glass wall with vegetation and a modular system. The installation of vertical blinds for large surfaces, over 5 meters wide and 3 high, guided by a motorized curved rail allows us to control shades according to how much light or confidentiality the people using the room require,” adds Cécile Ravet. These blinds cover a glass surface area of 34m2 and are powered by a single 12-meter-long rail and one RTS (Radio Technology Somfy) motor connected to a computer. This ensures perfect light management thanks to its three positions (open, closed and positioning of slats with 180º rotation around the vertical axis). The fabric used for these blinds is Linea 2000 100% polyester. Recyclable, anti-bacterial and with a refined aesthetic, they can completely black out the room.

Mr. Collas from Lyon Stores adds, “Thanks to the quality of Bandalux systems, we can carry out a meticulous and perfect installation very quickly, both when it comes to installing systems and connecting them to a power supply. Moreover, Bandalux made a detailed drawing of the curved shape of the glass walls and was able to custom manufacture special rails that fits perfectly and allows the vertical blinds to slide effortlessly”.