Ventilation is essential for healthy people and healthy homes. But it’s certainly not essential for architectural design and it’s been a few years since Louis Sullivan’s famous maxim; “form (ever) follows function”, inspired modernist designs full of functional flair. Yet despite contemporary architecture of amazing diversity, with surfaces changing to reflect visions and ideas, there are parts of every building that are seemingly ever bogged down in plain surfaces that cannot escape their functional roots. Ventilation louvres are arguably one of them.

The issue is the lines. Horizontal lines are used to add a feeling of grounding and stability, or to draw focus to a particular point. Yet the horizontal lines of louvres are generally too short to achieve perceived stability and most designs want to lead focus away from functional elements like ventilation louvres. Also, sometimes horizontal lines just don't work with the design. Which means placing a ventilation louvre in the middle of diagonal or curved surfaces would be just plain annoying. A bit like Da Vinci being asked to add sunglasses to the Mona Lisa — it just wouldn’t ‘fit’.

Of course, for the most part, the lines of a ventilation louvre are not a problem and they tend to blend very well with the surface they’ve been installed on/in. There are other instances though. Instances where form has to trump functionality completely and the louvres must be magicked away from plain sight. This is where Ventüer VL-50PL louvre, otherwise known as ‘the invisible louvre’, is needed. They change the surface in front of the louvres to make those horizontal lines disappear.

The truth behind this magic trick is actually in front of it. There are six different facing panels available, each with a different perforated pattern, including; circles, hexagons, triangles or oblongs. Each effectively obscures the horizontal lines of the drainable louvre blades behind it.

Aside from the obvious visual benefits, the different facing panels also increase the aerodynamic and weather protection performance. The louvre blades can be fixed within flanged or channel frames and can’t be unclipped, adding a bit more security. Not that anyone will see them as a way in any way. Because they won’t see them at all.

The aperture (hole size) of each facing plate is large enough to allow unencumbered ventilation while pulling off its magic trick and transforming the surface from plain lines, to lines that disappear from plain sight. Which is pretty cool. And much cooler than someone suggesting sunglasses on the Mona Lisa.