Aurae Blog

Louvres are continuing to grow in popularity across New Zealand. They provide a multitude of practical benefits like weather and rain protection as well as privacy and sun shading. They’re also commonly used by architects and designers for aesthetics, and to increase the street appeal and character of a home. Louvre blades were traditionally constructed from something like wood, however, as technology has evolved and residential houses have developed into even more elaborate designs, we are seeing many louvre manufacturers move to aluminium.

With the ever-changing nature of the weather here in New Zealand we’ve all grown accustomed to four seasons in one day, and weather that can change in an instant. Weather conditions like strong winds can have a negative impact on our daily lives – ever tried walking along the waterfront on a windy day in Wellington? It’s by all means difficult, and incredibly noisy!

The noise that strong winds make has the ability to reverberate around us causing discomfort on a number of levels. Some residential buildings in fact are known to produce a noise similar to a whistle on windy days that if not fixed, can lead to severe occupant discomfort. And with many more people now working from home, the level of discomfort that can be caused by something like a whistling balcony will prove all too distracting during a work-from-home day.

As manufacturers of architectural louvre solutions, we know how important it is for architects to have access to the right documentation to be able to proceed with housing projects and new builds. From technical design files to documents to support building consent applications, there’s a lot that can be required to get a project underway.

Whether you need street appeal or practicality for a home, louvres can be used in many versatile ways. With new builds in particular, the options are almost endless for the different ways that louvres can be used – from aesthetically pleasing designs to sun shading and privacy.

We’ve covered five common yet effective places that louvres can be used on the exterior of a home. Get inspired and see how you could use louvre blades for your next project below!

If you’ve been searching for a louvre shading system for a home or future project then you may have come across some different spellings of the word, throughout your searches. Common misspellings and different English spellings mean that louvres can be hard to find when doing a simple web search. While we refer to the popular shading system as a ‘louvre’ or ‘louvres’, we do see the spelling ‘louver’ appear from time to time. But is a louver the same as a louvre? What exactly is the difference between the two?

We’ve been working on something pretty exciting, and it’s finally time to share our latest innovation! As architectural louvre and facade specialists, we saw a gap in the market for rigorously wind tested decorative screens that could be used on residential homes and properties. Our new range of perforated screens ‘dapple’ have been designed to enhance the exterior of a home, all while showcasing a choreography of light.

Trends come and go and every year we see an array of bold new house design trends emerge. 2020 saw some big changes in the way we live with many people spending more time at home than ever before. Some people are still working from home so their haven has also become their make-shift office. This newfound affinity with our homes has had many of us re-evaluating how we’re using our homes, how functional the spaces are, and even the design and colour choices that have been used.

Louvre blades are a common fixture among many facade and outdoor shading systems – shutters, pergolas and opening louvre roofs to name a few. Commonly used to provide protection from the elements and for ventilation, they can also act as a unique design feature, with the ability to drastically enhance the exterior design of a home.

There are many different types of louvre blades now available in all different shapes and sizes, giving you plenty of choice when it comes to choosing the louvre blades that are right for your current or future project.

While 2020 certainly had its challenges, the team here at Aurae feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work on some fantastic louvre and facade projects this year. From practical spaces to truly mesmerising designs, we had a lot of standouts this year which is why we wanted to share a few of our favourite projects with you.

Motorised louvres are becoming increasingly popular in facade design due to their flexible nature. While motorised louvres still serve the same purpose as more traditional fixed louvre blades, by providing shade and privacy to the exterior of a property, the louvre blades in motorised systems are operable.

People want convenience and flexibility with many aspects of their home and the exterior is no different. A versatile and motorised shading solution is a simple way for homeowners to take control of their shading and privacy, all while becoming less reliant on in-home heating and cooling solutions.