Brise-soleil

An external shading or louver system that filters sunlight.

Literally a sun breaker, it includes fixed or movable louvers, deep eaves, and gridded facades. It reduces cooling and glare while giving rhythm to an elevation.

Le Corbusier emphasized it in hot climates, and its lineage continues in facade fins and double skins. Without orientation and solar analysis, it becomes decorative.

Unité d’Habitation and many projects in India and Brazil provide familiar examples.