Heat stopped at the glass, before it ever reaches the room
Wide aluminium slats mounted outside the window, guided in side rails, tilting to intercept sun that would otherwise heat a tasting room or west-facing living space before it even gets past the pane.
An interior blind manages heat that has already come through the glass and warmed the room. An external venetian intercepts most of that heat outside the building envelope entirely — the difference is dramatic on the big north- and west-facing glass walls that define new-build wine-estate architecture.
Built for exposure
Wide aluminium slats, typically in the 60–90mm class, run in guided side rails or cables and tilt open or closed as needed. Because they're mounted outside, on a facade that can see a real gust, they're effectively always motorised, with a wind sensor that retracts them automatically before weather does the damage a fixed slat can't survive.
Where they fit an estate
- Tasting rooms and cellar doors with full-height glass built for the vineyard view, not the sun angle.
- West-facing living rooms and studies where the late-afternoon sun makes air conditioning work overtime.
- New builds and architect renovations, where the fixing points can be planned in at design stage.
Being honest about the limits
This is a premium spend, positioned as a building improvement rather than window dressing, and it visibly changes the facade — most wine and golf estates in the Winelands will want to see a colour spec and fixing drawing before approving it. It's also not a retrofit for every elevation; we'll say plainly at the measure if your wall isn't a good candidate.
A note on roller shutters, the related product
Roller shutters are a separate product on our range — rigid interlocking slats that roll down completely rather than tilting open — and they're also a shading product, not a security-rated one. If total blackout or full closure matters more than adjustable light control, that's the better conversation to have at the measure.