Suspended ventilated facades ‘Blinds’

When considering a particular system of suspended ventilated facades (SVF), a potential client evaluates it based on certain criteria. In most cases, the cost of the facade is a priority in choosing a specific type.

In developed European, Asian, and North American countries, there is currently a trend that, in addition to price, takes into account other factors influencing the choice of building cladding. For example, maximum satisfaction of aesthetic requirements and protection of the building from solar radiation.

We offer a closer look at the continuous blinds system (CB), which fully meets these requirements.

Having appeared more than 40 years ago, blinds facades did not gain immediate recognition ─ it took time to accumulate the necessary experience and knowledge that would allow this type of cladding to find its rightful place.

The elements of building sun protection through blinds were first used by the famous French architect Le Corbusier – a pioneer of architectural modernism and functionalism. In 1936, in Rio de Janeiro, he was actively involved in developing the project for the Ministry of Education and Culture building. At his initiative, external sunshades – blinds – were applied for the first time on the high-rise office block of the complex.

Overview of ‘BLINDS’ Facades

Facade Requirements

The choice in favor of suspended blinds facades is often due to the fact that these structures are better suited for exterior building cladding. Indeed, using blinds facades ensures that the exterior cladding meets the following requirements:

• Mechanical Strength. The facade is subjected to significant wind loads, so it is important that the structure installed outside does not deform or break under their influence.
• Durability and Resistance to External Factors. The exterior cladding should withstand the effects of moisture and ultraviolet radiation without losing strength due to corrosion and with minimal deterioration in appearance.
• Safety. This relates not so much to mechanical properties, but to the heat resistance of facade structures, which determines the overall fire safety of the building. It is preferable to use non-combustible materials for facades that can maintain strength under high temperatures for extended periods.
• Light Permeability. Ideally, the facade cladding should not obstruct natural light from entering rooms adjacent to external walls. This can only be fully achieved through glazing, but metal blinds also allow for good sunlight penetration.
• Air Permeability. The structures mounted on the facade should not obstruct the natural ventilation of the wall enclosure. Meeting this requirement ensures humidity normalization throughout the building, preventing the growth of bacteria and fungi.
• Privacy. If there are glazed rooms behind the facade structures, they should not be easily visible.
• Attractive Appearance. The facade of a commercial building is its “face,” so it should look at least neat, if not beautiful. This applies equally to public and industrial spaces.

Naturally, this is not a complete list of requirements for facade structures. It also includes the ability to mask wall defects, concealed routing of communications, simple installation, and acceptable cost.

Design Features

Blinds facades meet all the listed requirements. This is due to their design – quite simple, but at the same time, very well thought out:

• The blinds facade is assembled from separate elements connected together. This design simplifies the manufacture of the facade cladding, its transportation, and installation: the small size of each element reduces the labor intensity of the work.
• When installing blinds facades, they can be mounted in either a vertical or horizontal plane. The first option is suitable for cladding curved surfaces and ramps of multi-level parking lots. The second option – with horizontal placement of the blinds – is more traditional: such structures are installed on flat facade surfaces.
• The blinds themselves are made either from galvanized steel or extruded aluminum up to 3 mm thick. The maximum length of a single slat is 3 meters: considering the metal profiling and selection of optimal thickness, this prevents the structure from bending under its own weight and from deforming under strong winds.
• The slats are placed on guides at the selected angle. This fixation allows, on one hand, to maintain air and light permeability, and on the other hand, to ensure privacy and protection from direct sunlight. In addition, due to the inclined arrangement of the slats and their lower bend, the structure effectively drains rainwater, preventing it from leaking under the facade cladding.

To protect against corrosion, the elements of the blinds facade are coated with anti-corrosion protection – powder paint or PVDF. Applying such a coating ensures the facade maintains its impeccable appearance for 15-20 years and prevents corrosion for at least 30-35 years.

Installation Technology

One of the reasons many property owners choose suspended blinds facades is the installation technology. The building cladding can be performed under any temperature conditions: the absence of “wet” processes eliminates the restrictions that apply, for example, when plastering a facade.

The installation technology itself is also quite simple:

• Support rails are installed on the bearing and enclosing structures using beams or brackets. The step between the rails is determined by the dimensions of the slats, which will form the blinds.
• The rails are connected with a small gap. This gap allows for compensation of thermal expansion and prevents deformation of the facade cladding. If necessary, the gap can be covered with a decorative overlay.
• Invisible fasteners are used to fix the slats themselves. Thanks to these fasteners, the structure combines high strength with an attractive appearance.

Despite the simplicity of installation, it is advisable to involve qualified specialists in the installation of the blinds facade. This will ensure that all the design features are taken into account and prevent problems during its operation.

Facade Blinds: The Key Trend of 2025

This detailed description of facade blinds is not accidental. Since their introduction to the market, the popularity of such facades has been steadily increasing. The reasons for this (with the main one being the extensive list of advantages) will be discussed in more detail below. However, it’s important to note the following:

• Since the end of 2017, leading architects have actively started using facade blinds in their projects. Of course, this was practiced earlier, but until that time, such solutions were not as widespread.
• In Ukraine, the peak of popularity for facade blinds has not yet arrived — demand for these constructions shows a stable growth trend. So, in 2025, facade blinds will be undeniably trendy, and both clients and project engineers should take this into account.

The growing demand for facade blinds could lead to their price increase. This should also be considered when planning building reconstruction or finishing. It is unlikely that these constructions will become significantly cheaper, so it’s better not to delay placing an order. However, there are options available within different budgets — the product range is quite extensive. We will discuss the main variations in the next section.

Types of Blinds

Despite the similarity in construction, different models of blinds can vary in both appearance and performance characteristics. The main differences lie in the thickness of the metal used for the slats and their configuration.

The “MehBud” factory produces facade blinds in 3 main configurations:

• “Standard”: The slats are made from galvanized steel with a thickness of 0.45 mm. This makes the construction very lightweight, minimizing the load on the supporting structures of the facade. At the same time, the configuration of the slats ensures their sufficient rigidity, making the “Standard” blinds resistant to wind and operational loads. Another advantage is the quite affordable price, especially for constructions of this class.
• “Exclusive”: The slats for the “Exclusive” blinds are made from thickened galvanized steel (0.7–0.8 mm). This increases the rigidity of each element, which not only enhances the strength of the facade finishing but also its durability (the absence of deformation reduces wear on the protective-decorative coating).
• “Premium”: This option is chosen for achieving an ideal exterior appearance of the facade finishing with maximum strength and reliability. Blinds with slats made from 1 mm thick steel can withstand even attempts at forced entry, making them suitable for areas where security is important, such as the finishing of multi-level parking lots with open or semi-open ramps.

The choice of the modification for facade finishing depends on the requirements for the strength and durability of the blinds, as well as the available budget.

Sun Protection

The “Blinds” facade limits the flow of light and heat into the building, while preserving natural lighting inside. This function is similar to the effect of blinds on windows, protecting against direct sunlight while creating a comfortable light environment inside. This is one of the key features of the “Blinds” facade.

European experience over the last 40 years, especially in regions with high solar activity, has shown that this type of facade is increasingly used on buildings with various purposes, including administrative, office, social, sports, retail, and industrial properties.

Wind Resistance

What happens to a facade during strong winds? Wind pressure acts to push and pull. It is generally accepted that the maximum force of detachment is 2-2.5 times greater than that of compression.

In continuous curtain facades, during significant gusts, the pressure inside cannot adjust quickly enough. As a result, the difference between the external and internal pressures corresponds to the maximum wind load. This imposes specific requirements on cladding elements — the material must be strong and rigid enough to resist bending and detachment, particularly for large cladding panels or slats.

In the “Blinds” facade system, pressure is equalized almost instantaneously, significantly reducing the wind load on the facade elements. As a result, the requirements for the detachment strength of the supporting system that holds the curtain facade to the building wall can be reduced. This leads to a noticeable reduction in metal consumption and, consequently, material costs.

Good Air Exchange

In a continuous curtain facade, air enters the space behind the cladding from below, through an air intake grille or a metal panel (20-30 cm wide) located beneath the first row of cladding panels, cassettes, or slats. The chimney effect creates air draft, causing the air to flow upward. This rapid air movement generates a constant low-pressure zone behind the facade cladding.

To ensure good airflow, a wide air gap is needed between the cladding screen and the thermal insulation layer installed on the building’s exterior structure. As a result, the facade screen must be positioned further away from the building. This increases the strength requirements for the brackets holding the curtain facade, as the length of the bracket lever arm grows. Consequently, the metal consumption rises, potentially requiring changes to the subsystem design and increasing overall costs.

In practice, to save costs, a minimum allowable air gap (5 cm) is often left between the outer cladding and insulation. However, in hot weather, this gap is insufficient to remove the hot air effectively.

Measurements on a 24-story building showed that the temperature of the air exiting under the dark-colored aluminum composite panel (ACP) curtain facade reached 85°C, while the outside air temperature was 35°C. It’s important to note that the maximum operating temperature for ACP is 80°C. The reason for such high heating is simple — the air gap width is too small, and the air flow speed is insufficient to dissipate heat from the outer cladding.

The conclusion reached by specialists in Europe is that the established minimum air gap (5 cm) does not account for the degree of heating of the cladding and does not meet the requirements for high-rise buildings. This leads to overheating of the building on the upper floors. The building code needs to be supplemented with a requirement for the calculation or experimental verification of the air gap width, considering the maximum heating of the cladding.

It should be noted that in solid curtain facades, the air intake grill becomes clogged with debris due to the constant air suction, and it needs to be regularly cleaned, which building maintenance services almost never do.

The “Blinds” facade is well-ventilated and ensures the removal of heated air naturally through the gaps in the blinds. This is currently the best curtain facade design, which prevents the building from overheating due to solar radiation and provides excellent air circulation.

Waterproofing.

A cladding system like the “Blinds” facade provides sufficient protection against rainwater entering the space behind the facade. A common question is whether atmospheric precipitation can be blown in between the slats by strong winds.

Some designs may allow such water penetration, but only in very strong winds. The profile of the slat element has at least one longitudinal break in the plane. The horizontal slats are mounted in such a way that one of the planes is close to vertical. The wind would need to drive the water along the slats from bottom to top to penetrate the ventilated cavity. Even if this happens, the droplets would have to overcome the air gap.

However, as mentioned earlier, the air pressure inside and outside the facade quickly equalizes, and the wind force beyond the inner edge of the facade screen is insufficient to carry moisture inside. Only very sharp gusts may cause moisture to reach the insulation layer, which is protected by a polymer film. If insulation is not used in the facade, a mosquito net is installed behind the screen, which absorbs the moisture. In both cases, the moisture flows down and is removed outside the facade, bypassing the walls.

The degree of waterproofing through the “Blinds” facade is classified into four levels, from A (100-99% protection) to D (80%). Level D is determined by the amount of water sprayed in a directed airflow and collected at the bottom of the facade behind the slatted screen at a maximum wind speed of 1.5 m/s in the horizontal direction. It is important to note that the methodology defines water penetration through the rear plane of the slat elements onto the mosquito net. Overall, tests for water permeability of ventilated facades (VFF) have become one of the criteria by which many simple designs of slatted elements were rejected.

The “Blinds” facade systems from the Mehbud factory feature elements with various shapes that provide both full and partial protection from moisture penetration. The choice is made based on the size of the open area for through visibility and the level of protection required against water ingress.

The advantages of the “Blinds” ventilated facade (VFF) include:

• Fire resistance of the materials used in the facade.
• Low thermal expansion of the galvanized steel used for the substructure elements, which allows for rigid mounting of the supports without the need for thermal compensation elements.
• Slats up to 10 meters in length have mounts that compensate for thermal expansion.
• Unlimited design possibilities — a wide range of polymer coating colors for the slat elements allows for the realization of unique architectural solutions.
• Guaranteed corrosion resistance (35 years) of the material (galvanized steel, 0.7-1.5 mm).
• Long service life of steel — 50 years.

These advantages are ensured by the high quality of raw materials, advanced steel processing technology, and the professionalism of the Mehbud factory specialists.

What types of buildings are suitable for Blinds facades?

The wide range of advantages offered by Blinds facades makes them highly versatile. When installed correctly and with consideration for the specifics of the installation, blinds can seamlessly integrate into almost any design and be mounted on any structure.

Blinds facades are especially ideal for the following types of buildings:

• Multi-level parking garages. Using blinds for parking lot cladding allows for essential functions such as ventilation and natural lighting. The angled slats of the blinds also provide minimal visibility of the interior and effective wind protection (and, thus, dust protection).
• Office and public buildings. In these cases, the Blinds facade is typically mounted over load-bearing walls, serving as cladding. The installation of this structure ensures that the wall’s natural ventilation is maintained, while also reducing the heat buildup in the walls during hot summer days. This can result in up to a 25-30% reduction in cooling energy costs.
• Shopping centers and other commercial buildings with high foot traffic. Ventilation is an acute concern in such spaces. The use of Blinds facades not only improves the aesthetic appeal of the building, but also ensures proper air circulation. Additionally, ventilation intake and exhaust openings can be discreetly hidden behind the blinds, which can be crucial for the optimal placement of utilities.

In addition to these buildings, Blinds facades are increasingly used on residential complexes, industrial buildings, and other structures, regardless of size. The key task for the designer is selecting the optimal type of blinds and seamlessly incorporating the structure into the overall architectural concept.

Blinds Facades in the Decor of Private Homes

A few years ago, Blinds facades were mainly viewed by architects as a feature of commercial real estate. However, in recent years, the focus has shifted, and these structures are gradually being installed on private homes as well. A Blinds panel on the facade of a private house looks quite organic—especially when it comes to the popular European or Scandinavian-style homes today.

The advantages here are fairly typical:

• Reliable protection against external factors.
• Sun protection.
• Effective water drainage.

However, the main advantage of Blinds facades in private construction is their decorative potential. Panels can be painted in any color according to the RAL color system, and the use of PRINTECH offset printing technology allows for high-quality imitation of the color and texture of natural wood. As a result, metal Blinds facade panels can blend well even with wooden (beam or log) walls.

Design Potential of Blinds Facades

Blinds facades offer unique opportunities for architectural and design solutions. Their modern appearance, functionality, and variety of materials make them the perfect choice for creating buildings that attract attention and highlight individuality.

Aesthetic Versatility
Blinds facades allow for the creation of unique building designs—from minimalist styles to bold design accents. They offer the ability to play with shapes, shadows, and textures, making the facade dynamic and lively.

Variety of Color Solutions
The wide color palette of Blinds facades from the Mehbud factory enables them to seamlessly integrate into any architectural project. Bright shades emphasize individuality, while natural textures add warmth and coziness.

Light and Shadow – Design Elements
The structure of Blinds facades allows for the use of light and shadow effects, creating a unique play of light on the surface of the building. This adds depth and expressiveness to the facade.

Customization for the Project
Thanks to flexibility in choosing materials, sizes, and shapes, Blinds facades can be perfectly adapted to any architectural style—from modern business centers to cozy private homes.

Combination with Other Materials
Blinds facades easily combine with wood, stone, glass, and metal, offering endless possibilities for original design solutions.

Blinds facades are not only a practical but also a stylish solution that makes a building modern, expressive, and functional. Mehbud factory offers innovative solutions that inspire the creation of true architectural masterpieces.

Conclusion

The ventilated curtain wall systems – Blinds facades from Mehbud factory offer a wide range of operational advantages: they are not only practical, durable, and reliable but also highly efficient, especially in areas where maintaining an optimal indoor climate is essential. Moreover, these structures enhance the aesthetic appeal of modern buildings. Therefore, the attractive appearance of Blinds facades is another strong argument in their favor.