With Altair® Louvre Windows you can choose blades that best suit the windows function, such as maximising views, letting in/reducing sunlight, reducing glare, gaining privacy or creating your own design style.
Blade height
Altair Louvre Windows are available with two blade heights: 102mm (4”) and 152mm (6”).
Blade length
The length of the louvre blade is typically based on the bay width required for the window application and any length restrictions to comply with Building Codes. For more information see FAQ “How wide can my louvres be?”.
Blade thickness
The Altair Louvre design has been optimised for 6mm thick glass and 14mm thick timber blades. The use of other thicknesses will compromise the performance of the product and are not warranted by Breezway.
Blades for Stronghold
Blades that are mechanically retained by the Stronghold System (i.e. A high strength acetal pin that is inserted through the Stronghold clip, bearing and blade) are available for use with 6mm thick, 152mm or 102mm drilled glass or aluminium blades. For more information, visit the Stronghold System page.
Obscure, grey, green, toughened for extra strength and safety, with a clear low e coating for enhanced energy efficiency, or good old sparkling clear glass! As long as it’s 6mm thick, almost every type of glass can be installed into an Altair Louvre Window.
Western Red Cedar timber blades let the breeze in and create privacy at the same time while reducing the amount of heat passing through the window.
All timbers can be stained to blend in with your home.
Aluminium blades are virtually maintenance free, can’t rust and never need painting. Our aluminium blades are offered in a large variety of powder coated colour finishes including Decowood for that eye-catching timber look.
Select the right blade to suit your situation so you can make the most out of your Altair Louvre Windows.
| Key consideration | Blade type | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Increased glass safety | Toughened Glass | Toughened glass is around 5 times stronger than un-toughened glass. Not only is it harder to break, but if it does break, it breaks into small fragments with square edges instead of razor-sharp shards of glass. Building codes will require toughened glass in certain situations in the building. Toughening all glass blades is an extra precaution that is available. |
| Timber and Aluminium | Timber and aluminium obviously do not shatter at all. | |
| Clear views and maximum daylight | Clear Glass | Clear glass will maximise these considerations. Tinted glass can also be very effective with only slight reductions in daylight. |
| Increased insulation | Clear low e Glass and Timber | Clear glass with a low emissivity coating and timber have insulating properties to reduce the heat transfer through the blade. |
| Protection from heat gain due to direct sunlight | Glass – tinted grey or green | Reduces the Solar Heat Gain when protection from direct sunlight is wanted. This will typically be a key consideration on western elevations (as windows facing the west are exposed to hot afternoon sun). |
| Timber and Aluminium | Timber and aluminium are solid blades and very effective in this role. | |
| Heat gain from direct sunlight is desirable | Clear Glass | In colder seasons heat gain from sunlight is a very desirable benefit. North facing windows will typically be clear glass to get this free heating benefit from nature. |
| Privacy | Glass – satinlite or satina | These glasses are obscure to provide privacy while also letting in daylight while closed. |
| Aluminium and Timber | Aluminium and timber are solid blades that will provide complete privacy while closed, but need to be open to provide daylight. | |
| Colour, visual impact | Aluminium | Aluminium blades can be anodised or powder coated to a wide array of colours. |
| Timber warmth or look | Timber | Our Western Red Cedar blades provide the timber “look” and the insulated benefits of timber. |
| Aluminium – Decowood | Aluminium blades can be finished with Decowood timber look powdercoat. This provides the appearance of timber, with the low maintenance of aluminium. |
Due to compliance laws you may need to restrict your louvre openings to meet state or local government regulations. There are a number of reasons why you may need restricted openings including situations when using louvres for fall prevention, louvres adjacent to swimming pools etc. To find out more please visit our Compliance page. For more information about our restricted opening product offer please view the options below.
Altair Louvre Windows can be restricted to only allow a nominal opening of 80mm,100mm or 120mm between open blades.
Restricted openings can be used to prevent clips from impacting screens in some frames, or to limit the size of objects able to pass through the open window.
View the Restricted Openings in pdf format below.
Please refer to the PDF downloads for dimensions on the standard blade openings for Altair Louvre Windows.
