Louvre windows should be carefully selected for buildings to meet the comfort and energy efficiency expectations of the residents, as well as regulatory compliance requirements. The louvre windows should, therefore, be properly designed and fit for purpose.

Louvre windows in an elevated application should not only comply with AS2047 and AS1288, but also meet a number of additional requirements to conform to the National Construction Code.

Structural provisions in NCC Volume 1 and Volume 2 specify that a building element must safeguard people from injury caused by structural failure or impact with glazing. AS1288 cites that glazing within 2m of floor area can be subject to human impact. Since a traditional louvre blade is not mechanically held in place, it is important to determine whether the louvre window could suffer a structural failure when subject to human impact.

AS1170.1 Table 3.3 outlines ‘Minimum Imposed Actions for Barriers’ in various applications where the loads are considerably more than what a louvre window without mechanical blade fixing could withstand.

Fall prevention through openable windows is another consideration in the NCC. The Industry Code of Practice ICP.005 ‘Protection of Openable Windows’, which is being considered for conversion to an Australian Standard, outlines the testing requirements for windows requiring fall prevention. One aspect of this testing is the application of a 250N load on the edge of the louvre blade at its most vulnerable point for a 10-second duration. In the event the louvre blade is dislodged from one louvre clip, or both louvre clips, the test is deemed to have failed and the louvre may not comply with the requirements of the NCC.

Installing a product that does not meet the relevant requirements is not only irresponsible for the injury risk it may cause, but may also have disastrous consequences for the supplier of the windows in the building.

Breezway has developed the stronghold system for Altair louvres to assure the designer of a building and the window fabricator that the product is based on sound design principles to suit installation in an ‘elevated glazing position’.