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architectural louvres

AMCA Certified Louvres Now Available in Europe

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Construction Specialties (CS) has introduced AMCA‑certified architectural louvres to the European market, providing specifiers with access to reliable and independently verified performance data.

As an AMCA member, CS also participates in the AMCA Certified Ratings Programme (CRP). Under this programme, louvre performance is independently tested and subject to ongoing audits, helping to ensure that published data remains accurate over time. This sets it apart from other standards used to verify louvre performance, which typically result in a one-off test report.

AMCA certification complements the EN 13030 testing already carried out on CS louvres in Europe, adding a further layer of independent verification and ongoing validation.

A total of 15 AMCA‑certified louvre models are now available, including a selection of weather louvres designed to resist wind-driven rain ingress under demanding conditions, as well as several ventilation louvres engineered to maximise airflow performance where rain defence is not critical.

All models have been tested in accordance with ANSI/AMCA Standard 500‑L: Laboratory Methods of Testing Louvers for Rating, which defines how louvre performance is assessed under a range of airflow and environmental conditions. Testing covers key characteristics such as airflow performance, pressure drop, water penetration and wind-driven rain resistance.

In addition, two of CS’ rain defence models are now AMCA 550 Listed, demonstrating proven resistance to high-velocity wind-driven rain.

By combining independently verified data with ongoing compliance checks, AMCA certification supports more informed specification and greater confidence in performance throughout the building lifecycle, helping to ensure that louvre systems perform as expected in both testing and real-world conditions.

For more information visit: https://www.c-sgroup.co.uk/products/architectural-louvres/

CS Expands Architectural Louvre Range with Three New Models

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Construction Specialties (CS) has announced the launch of three new architectural louvre models – RS-5215, RS-5225, and A-2097 – designed to meet the market’s evolving design and performance demands. These additions deliver the high level of rain defence and airflow performance CS louvres are known for, while adding more aesthetic versatility to the portfolio.

RS-5215 and RS-5225 are compact, 135 mm-deep, double-bank louvres from the company’s Architectural Line family. They offer a sleek, continuous horizontal front blade appearance, with vertical weather louvre units positioned to the rear, ensuring Class A rain defence up to 3.5 m/s. RS-5215 is ideal for low-level applications, while RS-5225 features an inverted front blade, making it particularly effective for high-level installations. The rear sightproof units are supplied powder-coated black as standard to minimise visual impact.

Both models are modular, allowing for ease of installation. They are recommended for large-scale installations requiring a uniform appearance with a continuous blade effect, and where only small or irregular active openings need protection from wind-driven rain. In non-active areas, blanking panels are used in place of blades within the rear louvre frame, offering significant cost savings.

The RS-5215 can also be specified with visible interlocking mullions to align with other façade elements, if preferred.

The new A-2097 is the shallowest CS ventilation louvre model to date, at just 53mm deep, and features a blade pitch of only 48 mm. It can be specified with either visible mullions to align with other façade features, or hidden mullions to achieve a continuous line appearance (the hidden mullion option increases the overall depth to approximately 130 mm). This model delivers Class C rain defence performance in natural ventilation applications and offers excellent airflow performance, particularly for mechanical extract scenarios (Class 1). With its modular design, choice of standard or glazing frame options, and availability in compact sizes, it is well suited for curtain walling, residential buildings, and storefront applications where small louvres are often required above doors or windows.

The new additions have been tested to BS EN 13030 standard for weather louvres, verifying their airflow efficiency and ability to prevent wind-driven rain ingress.  They provide architects and specifiers with even more options for combining performance with design flexibility.

To view the full range of CS rain defence, ventilation, screening and acoustic louvre solutions, visit www.c-sgroup.co.uk/architectural-louvres

CS LOUVRES FIND A HOME AT THE UK’S LARGEST ENGINEERING CAMPUS

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The £420m Manchester Engineering Campus (MECD) benefits from a range of Construction Specialties’ (CS) architectural louvres providing excellent airflow and long-lasting protection from wind-driven rain.

The engineering campus will be home to a community of 8000 students and staff. With the University of Manchester committed to environmental sustainability, a green approach to the design was paramount with the project targeting BREEAM ‘Excellent’.

For the largest building on the campus, 80,000m2 the MEC Hall, CS louvres were specified for the rooftop plant areas to provide both natural ventilation and smoke clearance ventilation. A custom clip in louvre, powder coated in RAL 9005 Black, complemented the vertical grid of metal slats on the façade. In active louvre areas bird guards and motorised uPVC volume control dampers were installed behind louvres, while non-active areas thermally-insulated blanking panels were fitted. On the sides facing internal hall atriums, CS SLA-I screening louvres, powder coated to blend in with the wall colours, were installed in inverted configuration to hide the louvres and dampers from view.

Linked to the MEC Hall by a second floor walkway, the Upper Brook Street Building (Engineering Building B) houses a large teaching lab and lecture hall. CS supplied its high performance rain defence model RSV-5700 and double louvred doors for this building. The louvre modules were fabricated with a glazing frame to allow easy integration within the curtain walling system.

Featuring a complex, extruded aluminium blade profile with multiple draining channels, arranged in vertical orientation, RSV-5700 is a high-performance louvre designed to provide maximum defence against wind-driven rain penetration. Independently tested to EN 13030, RSV-5700 offers class A rain defence up to 3.5m/s core velocity, combined with a class 3 ‘good’ airflow rating.

The custom clip louvre was also specified for the new build extension to the Grade II listed Oddfellows Hall and RSV-5700 system was installed in 3 elevations of the York Street Building.

The specification and installation of CS’ architectural louvres will ensure the buildings can boast striking aesthetics and functionality whilst supporting the sustainability strategy of the campus.

For further project information visit: https://www.c-sgroup.co.uk/blog/manchester-engineering-campus-mecd-manchester-uk/

CS LOUVRES ARE A CLASS APART AT NEW UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

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The University of Northampton’s stunning new £330 million Waterside Campus is set to be a template for sustainability having been built to low carbon, BREEAM Excellent-rated construction standards. Central to the natural ventilation strategy, Construction Specialties’ (CS) architectural louvres will provide excellent airflow and long-lasting protection from wind-driven rain.

EnergyCentre-1-lrEnergy Centre

EnergyCentre-8-lrAs part of the Energy Centre’s natural ventilation strategy, CS’ RSH-5700 rain defence louvres fitted with bird screens were installed at the ground floor level of the South and East elevations forming an air intake area and at the upper mezzanine level of the West elevation which serves as an air exhaust area. The LA-600C acoustic louvres were specified to be fitted behind RSH-5700 louvres in both locations to help achieve noise emission limits stipulated in BREEAM and local planning authority requirements.

Fabricated and delivered to site as modules for efficient installation, RSH-5700 louves were powder coated in RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey, in keeping with the colour of surrounding cladding.

LearningHub-1-lrLearning Hub

LearningHub-4CS louvres were also specified for the campus’s Learning Hub. Fitted to two opposite sides of the building’s 5th floor rooftop plant room, they provide air intake and exhaust functions. On this building, the preference was for a louvre model with vertical blade orientation that blended with the overall building design. RSV-5700 rain defence louvres powdercoated in RAL 9018 Papyrus White, complete with bird guards or blanked off with single skin blanking panels in non-active areas, were installed flush with the polycarbonate walling system.

Solution

Featuring a complex, extruded aluminium blade profile with multiple draining channels, RSH-5700 and its vertical blade version RSV-5700 are high-performance louvre systems designed to provide maximum defence against water penetration whilst maintaining good airflow characteristics. Both systems have been third party tested to EN 13030 standard and achieved Class A rain defence up to 3.0m/s and Class A up to 3.5m/s respectively.

With a class 3 ‘good’ airflow rating, the two louvre models allow the passage of air, whilst providing the area beyond the boiler and plant equipment on both the Energy Centre and Learning Hub with highly efficient protection from rain penetration.

For further project information visit: https://www.c-sgroup.co.uk/blog/northampton-university-campus-northampton-uk/