Among all known features of passive design to reduce the heat, shading is among the most natural, often the cheapest and the easiest to install as well with a low carbon footprint. At the same time for modern buildings, compared to glazing, professional smart shading concepts seem the most neglected. That counts both all year long for hot countries and during summer seasons for the colder hemisphere alike. The contribution shows that a simple, but intricate adapted shading concept by external blinds or shutters is globally highly applicable for low-budget zero energy mass customized homes. To some extent, it also works for more sophisticated houses including offices both in low and high rises as well. Based on empirical experiences in Malaysia and Singapore, we look into a combination of traditional shading architecture and modern tropical building technology to stop the impact of the sun’s direct radiation. Hence, the elaboration puts effort and dwells upon the credentials of shading especially for retrofitting. Even if the window-wall ratio (WWR) is higher than necessary due to ample daylighting, smart shading might still fall in line with the aesthetic requirements for architectural facades. It is hypothesized and shown by practical case studies, how the heat impact of the window panes can be smoothly reduced.

KEYWORDS: Smart shading, intelligent building, carbon footprint