Louvers protect ventilation points and interior spaces from rainfall. There are many types of louvers that focus on different kinds of protection, but all louver types play an essential role in your building. Each louver works towards your design, whether its guarding against water infiltration or providing an aesthetic touch to a surface. Here are a few ways that HVAC louvers work in modern building design.

Protection

All louvers provide a basic level of protection. HVAC louvers are commonly installed inside a ventilation opening to protect the interior of the HVAC system from water damage. Louver blades are situated at an angle, so that they deflect incoming rain droplets. They can also prevent water infiltration as the HVAC system draws air into the ductwork. The angled blades will deflect the water from passing as the needed airflow moves through the free space between the blades.

Illustration of a louver blocking rainfall — Louvers protect ventilation points from rain.

While most louvers provide adequate protection, louvers without drain features are vulnerable to backsplash. Excess rain can collect on the blade and splash back into the louver. Drainable blades will have features that capture the rain and channel it out through the louver’s sill. Blade catches can provide additional protection during heavy rainfall by capturing moisture that travels on the air stream. These features are commonly found on wind driven rain louvers, to capture rain that is blown into the louver’s free area. Hurricane louvers will also have blade catches and drain channels.

Remember that louvers will always protect your building. Deserts may see sunshine for most of the year but remember that seasonal monsoons will drop heavy rain on your building. Coastal regions may be sunny for most of the year, but you may need protection against hurricanes. When selecting louvers, you are preparing your project from the worst-case scenario.

The primary purpose of a louver is protection. Designers will add louvers to protect intake openings from water damage and meet building safety requirements. It is important to keep ventilation points dry during a storm.

Preserving Air Quality

Water damage is serious in HVAC. Rust and corrosion are important to watch for when equipment is subjected to rain, but it is more important to look for mold. Mold growth can start at any point in the HVAC system, even at the intake opening. From there, mold spores can spread through ductwork to other parts of the system. This can quickly turn into an air quality nightmare. In the case of mold growth, prevention is the best course of action.

Illustration demonstrating mold infiltration at the ventilation point — Prevent mold growth by keeping the ventilation point dry. Use louvers that prevent water infiltration.

Drainable louvers provide pathways for captured water. Drain troughs and channels direct the water to the louver’s sill, where it can fall out of the louver while minimizing the risk of backsplash. You can all add a drain pan or sill extension piece to the louver’s sill, to further minimize this risk. Drain pans will have a backplate that guards the lower free area from water infiltration. Captured water slides out of the open face of the drain pan and out of the louver.

For more serious weather, consider wind driven rain louvers. Read this article for more details on these louvers. Air quality is important in modern design. Keep your interiors dry with the right louvers.

Energy Efficiency

While protection is important, you must also consider each louver’s impact on your HVAC system. Protective features like catches capture water, but they can also impede airflow through the louver’s free area. System fans will need to spin faster to draw the necessary air through the opening.

The best way to maximize efficiency is to choose louvers that meet the protection needs. Protection is important, but overprotection could drag your system down. If a project requires hurricane protection, then use hurricane louvers to protect the required areas. Otherwise, you may want to use wind driven rain louvers or drainable louvers for protection.

Illustration demonstrating efficient airflow at the louver — Louver selection will be a balancing act. Always choose the louver that best fits the requirement. Too much protection can negatively affect system efficiency.

Consider choosing louvers with chevron blades. Chevron blades provide excellent protection from rainfall with minimal impact on the airstream. Louver selection is a balancing act between rain protection and air performance. The key is finding the best balance between the two.

Design and Aesthetics

Louvers can help accent other features along your building’s envelope. The straight lines created by louver blades can draw a viewer’s eye towards other parts of the building. These lines can also divide spaces along the envelope.

With architectural louvers, you can create these attractions and divisions anywhere along the envelope. Thin line louvers are commonly built for small scale ventilation, like ventilation points for packaged air terminals. However, their lightweight design allows them to be mounted on walls and other surfaces.

Photos of architectural louvers installed on modern buildings — Architectural louvers can help spruce up designs. Use them to enhance your project's aesthetics.

Pair a louver with the right color to create interesting contrasts along the envelope. Apply a custom coat to any louver to achieve a long-lasting shade that withstands the elements. Manufacturers will offer several options for adding color to your louvers, from powder finishes to anodizing. At AWV, we will gladly match any color you provide, so that your louvers fit beautifully into your designs.

Louvers, Simply Modern

Louvers have a straightforward design, but they provide a lot of modern design. By understanding your project’s needs, and the options available, you can select louvers that meet requirements and work with your designs. Keep your building safe and energy efficient with the right louvers.

AWV and Louvers

At AWV, we build every louver from scratch to meet your project’s needs. With our in-house painting facilities, we make sure that each of your louvers looks perfect. Best of all, we offer our color-matching services at no additional cost. Browse our full catalog online today and see what AWV can do for you.

Starting a new project? Let us know! AWV can help you find the best louvers to meet your needs.

HVAC Louvers in Modern Building Design