R&D
Louver Surface
TURN A 2D METAL PANEL INTO A 3D SIGNATURE DESIGN ELEMENT WITH LOUVER SURFACE
Add texture, pattern and three-dimensional design qualities to your next façade, feature wall, or screen using Louver Surface, the latest innovation from Zahner Labs.
Louver Surface is a product prototype for a new category of perforated metal panel. A Louver Surface panel is a metal sheet, laser cut to produce an array of metal tabs and louvers. Once cut, the louvers can be robotically bent to produce custom transparency, articulation, and open-air values.
LASER CUT SHEET—BEFORE BENDING
Louver Surface 3D Configurator
Try the parametric configurator below to explore the vast aesthetic and performative potential of Louver Surface. Explore patterning and articulation qualities of Louver Surface.
Use the 3D configurator above to switch between diamond patterns and hexagon arrays with a single button click. Test different bending patterns and depths to create surfaces that shift and change from different vantage points. Try one-directional bending to create a surface that appears solid from one direction while maintaining openness in the opposite direction for ventilation and light control.
Louver Surface is an advancement on Zahner’s textured panel technique used on projects like the Bloomberg Center at Cornell Tech designed by Morphosis or the Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center at UT Dallas designed by Overland Partners. Unlike those projects – which were composed of a grid of tabs suspended in a frame – the entire face of Louver Surface can be articulated. Below are various levels of articulation.
VARIABLE SCREEN TRANSPARENCY (CLOSED, PARTIALLY OPEN, FULLY OPEN)
PHOTO © A. ZAHNER COMPANY.VARIABLE SCREEN TRANSPARENCY (CLOSED, PARTIALLY OPEN, FULLY OPEN)
LOUVER SURFACE IN ZAHNER OSCURA BLACKENED STEEL—’BOXES’ PATTERN
Tell Us What You Think
Do you have an idea for using Louver Surface in an upcoming project? Do you have your own design you would like to apply? Get in touch with the form below to talk with a specialist and explore the endless possibilities of Louver Surface.
EXAMPLE OF CUSTOM DUAL-LOUVER PANEL
PHOTO ©️ Parrish Ruiz de Velasco (parrch.com)
© Fedora Hat Photography
Photo by Andre Sigur | ARKO
PHOTO © NAHO KUBOTA
Ɱ, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license, edited.
