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When specifying louvres for building designs, it’s important to go beyond the standard testing benchmarks and consider real-world performance, ensuring systems function effectively in actual weather conditions. Here are the key takeaways from the latest best practices in louvre specification:
The updated AS 4740:2025 standard sets a critical benchmark for testing louvres, ensuring they meet stringent performance criteria. This standard focuses on both aerodynamic efficiency and rain resistance testing and classification, which are essential for guaranteeing long-term resilience against challenging environmental conditions. By selecting louvres tested to this new standard, architects and engineers can be confident that their designs meet modern performance requirements.
While standard tests are valuable, they don’t always replicate real-world weather conditions, such as wind-driven rain or extreme wind speeds. Ensuring real weather protection requires a deeper understanding of how louvres perform when exposed to these conditions. It’s crucial to keep louvres within their desired performance range by factoring in local climate conditions, building orientation, and specific project requirements. This is where CFD analysis can provide detailed insights into louvre performance, simulating how they will respond in varying weather scenarios.
CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis offers a precise method for simulating airflow and rain penetration through louvres under project-specific conditions. This powerful tool allows engineers to model how louvres will perform based on local wind and rainfall data, as well as the building’s design and orientation. By using CFD simulations, designers can verify performance targets such as airflow rates and rain resistance, ensuring that the louvres meet both functional and aesthetic requirements in real-world settings.
Specifying louvre systems with confidence requires defining clear performance requirements upfront. Key factors such as air volume flow rate, pressure drop limits, and rain resistance targets should be determined to ensure the louvres align with the project’s goals. By focusing on aerodynamic efficiency and rain defence rather than relying on metrics like free open area, architects and engineers can ensure the chosen system will meet both operational and compliance standards. Working with trusted, certified manufacturers who adhere to the latest standards allows designers to specify with assurance.
Explore our full webinar on CFD analysis, real-world weather performance, and specifying louvre systems.