Architecture guide
6 minWhich Hunter Douglas exterior blinds and movable sun shades are there, and which one fits?
80 mm aluminium or bamboo exterior blinds, rotating TermoBrise, Metalbrise, sliding and folding shutters, Aerowing and Aeroscreen Plus: how each one moves and when a movable system beats a fixed one.
By the LuxaLine · Grupo ConstruMarket team · Updated
The short answer
A movable system makes sense when the sun, view or privacy you need changes through the day; if it doesn't, a fixed one is simpler. The catalogue has three families. Blades that turn on their axis: the 80 mm exterior blinds, in aluminium or bamboo, motorised with adjustable tilt, and TermoBrise, rotating, manual or motorised. Panels that slide or fold in front of the opening: the Folding & Sliding Shutters and Metalbrise. And blades opened by an operating arm: Aerowing, which also works as an overhead sun shade on pergolas. Blades to fine-tune light step by step; shutters to open or close the whole opening; Aerowing for roofs. This guide covers exterior architectural systems; fixed systems by orientation are in the guide on louvres and solar control.
Fixed or movable?
A fixed blade is designed for the worst sun of the year and stays that way: it protects, but it also blocks view and light when they aren't a problem. A tilting blade closes against the low morning or afternoon sun and opens the rest of the day. That difference pays off where the sun changes a lot from hour to hour, as on east and west façades, and where the space sometimes needs light and sometimes shade.
- If low sun hits only for a few hours and you want the view the rest of the day: tilting blades.
- If the sun hits evenly all day and the view doesn't matter: a fixed system, simpler and with no mechanisms.
- If you sometimes need to close the whole opening (hotel rooms, meeting rooms): sliding or folding shutters.
- If what needs shade is a terrace or pergola: overhead blades such as Aerowing.
The catalogue systems, in one table
| System | How it moves | Material | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 mm Aluminium Exterior Blind | 80 mm slats with adjustable tilt; motorised | Aluminium | Façades that want daylight without losing the view |
| 80 mm Bamboo Exterior Blind | The same, with thin wooden slats; motorised | Wood | Façades seeking the warmth of wood |
| TermoBrise | Rotating, manual or motorised | Over 100 colours, Woodgrains and Mineralgrains | Adjusting sun and view through the day |
| Metalbrise | Sliding or folding; also fixed at a preset angle | Aluminium | Institutional, commercial and residential projects, indoors and out |
| Folding & Sliding Shutters | Panels that slide or fold; the aluminium frame is hidden by the fabric | Texscreen fabrics, Woodgrains, Mineralgrains, powder coat | Façades with a vertical, colourful look |
| Aerowing | Aerodynamic blades opened by an operating arm; closed, they overlap | Extruded aluminium profiles | Façades and overhead sun shading |
| Aeroscreen Plus | Operable, semi-transparent double skin | Woodgrains and Mineralgrains finishes | Cladding the building without losing contact with the outside |
Data from the catalogue spec sheets. Each opening's size, the operation and the anchors are defined per project.
Tilting blades: exterior blinds and TermoBrise
The 80 mm exterior blinds drop in front of the glass and tilt their slats to let daylight in without closing the view from inside; they stop heat before it reaches the glass, which is where an exterior sun shade beats an interior curtain. TermoBrise does the same with larger blades that turn on their axis across the façade. If you go motorised, decide at design stage where the power comes from, how façades are grouped and who controls each group: one motor per opening with no central control ends with every floor doing its own thing.
Shutters and Metalbrise: open or close the whole opening
Shutters don't fine-tune light step by step: they open or close the whole opening. That's why they work in bedrooms, meeting rooms and balconies, where sometimes you want darkness or privacy and sometimes everything open. On the Folding & Sliding Shutters the fabric hides the aluminium frame and gives the façade a vertical, colourful look. Metalbrise comes movable, sliding or folding, or fixed with the blades at a preset angle, and works indoors and out.
What gets defined per project
A movable system is a mechanical piece out in the weather. The substructure and anchors are designed for the site's wind load, the mechanisms need access for inspection and the glass behind must stay cleanable. Nor does the whole façade have to move: at Banco Cuscatlán the perforated cladding wraps the volume and only some of the panels are hinged. LuxaLine Arquitectura, the architectural division of Grupo ConstruMarket, is an authorized Hunter Douglas distributor in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama: it specifies, supplies and installs as an integrated package, with the group supervising every project.
On video
We explain it in a minute
Common mistakes
A movable system nobody will move
If nobody operates it and there's no central control, it ends up fixed and more expensive. In that case, choose a fixed one.
A motor with no plan for power or control
Power supply and grouping by façade are defined at design stage, not at installation.
The same system on all four façades
The sun doesn't hit every face the same. Movable systems pay off east and west; elsewhere something fixed may do.
Forgetting mechanism maintenance
Leave access to inspect arms, motors and fixings, and to clean the glass behind.
Frequently asked questions
What is an exterior blind?
It's a slatted sun shade installed outside the glass that adjusts the tilt of its slats. It stops heat before it reaches the glass and lets daylight in without closing the view. The catalogue has aluminium and bamboo versions, with 80 mm slats and motorised.
What's the difference between a fixed and a movable sun shade?
The fixed one is designed for the worst sun and stays that way; the movable one closes against low sun and opens the rest of the day. Movable makes sense where the sun changes a lot from hour to hour, as on east and west façades.
What is TermoBrise?
It's a Hunter Douglas solar-control system with rotating blades, manually operated or motorised, available in over 100 colours. It lets you adjust sun and view through the day.
When does a sliding or folding shutter make sense?
When you sometimes need to close the whole opening and sometimes open it fully, as in hotel rooms, meeting rooms or balconies. It doesn't fine-tune light step by step like a tilting blade.
Who installs Hunter Douglas exterior blinds and sun shades in Central America?
LuxaLine Arquitectura, from Grupo ConstruMarket, an authorized Hunter Douglas distributor in El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama. It specifies, supplies and installs as an integrated package with the group supervising every project. Request a quote at luxaline.net/en/proyecto.
Where to see it in the catalogue
Which façade is giving you sun trouble?
Send us the orientation, the size of the openings and whether you want manual or motorised operation. We'll propose the system, structure and installation as an integrated package.
An advisor gets back to you during business hours.