External blind trends across the countries
One fifth of our blinds goes to the Czech market, the rest to 42 countries of the world. Most customers come from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but we also deliver to Israel, Japan, Greece, Italy or Australia. We have summarized the shading concepts in the individual states. Are you inspired by the Nordic countries, the mountains or the sea?
Where the whole world agrees
Much like the Czech Republic, shading by external blinds is also growing in popularity abroad. This is largely caused by greater awareness as regards to the benefits of external shading. Foreign architects calculate with the shading design already in the project in most buildings. In administration buildings, they are often governed by the law.
The NEVA contracts are dominated by external blinds with motor controlled by a button on a wall panel or by remote control.
Crank operation with a gearbox is preferred by customers seeking lower price. These are typically tenants in apartment buildings or those who lack space for electrical equipment in the room or do not want to chisel a completed interior.
As for large industrial and production halls, the customers often choose façade systems, which are installed on the finished façade as a complete unit. In such façade systems, the blinds are guided in guiding rails which fit all buildings thanks to their round or square versions.
Smart homes on the rise
Family house owners are increasingly interested in the so-called Smart Home phenomenon – intelligent management of the whole building or house. We see the greatest demand for smart homes in Germany, Austria and Israel. Using the Smart Home Somfy TaHoma system, customers can control the blinds, lighting, heating, garden irrigation, security alarm and the most demanding customers even the sound system.
And with wind and solar sensors on external blinds, they have an automatic tool, which raises or lowers the blinds when they are not at home. And if they desire, they can operate the blinds using an application.
Trends in slat colours
The leading slat colours are shades of silver 140 or 907 and anthracite 716. In our paint shop, we apply hand powder coating to tune the aluminium components.
Nordic durability is reflected in the shading
In the north, you will see most NEVA blinds in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The leading slats are the Z-90 and Z-70. This is because they are durable and they tightly fit to each other when closed, thus letting only minimum amounts of light into the room.
Because of the frequent weather changes, the Scandinavians put emphasis on durability and stability of the blinds. Therefore, they install them in rigid guiding rails. The blinds are usually controlled by motors and wind and solar sensors are also popular. When they register worse weather, they raise the blinds into the cover compartment.
Europe’s golden middle path
Central European customers usually choose the S and Z slats. The French, Austrians and Swiss in particular. Unlike the other Central Europeans, the Germans differ in choosing the C-80 slats because they protect their privacy by means of tilting, simultaneously letting enough light enter the interior.
The Germans and Austrians have their blinds installed by means of the STF self-supporting systems. The system allows for the measurement and installation of shading in a single step during the rough stage of construction. Therefore, the technicians only visit the site once, without waiting for plastering or window sill installation. In normal situations, they would need to know the dimensions. In the single-step assembly, they make fewer mistakes and reduce the labour costs. In some cases, the windows as well as the blinds are completed already in production and installed at one go in the construction openings.
The Swiss surprisingly prefer crank operation. “Although the shading in Switzerland is often prepared already in the project, motor operation and Smart Home are not among the most common features. There are many rental flats in the country where the owners do not want to invest large amounts, and thus install blinds with crank operation.”, says Pavlína Huňková, NEVA foreign trade specialist.
When a house is built from scratch in Switzerland, the architect deals with the shading already in the project. He mostly chooses blinds in the STL self-supporting systems, which are installed into the finished façade. In the first phase of construction, the compartment is prepared above the window and the anchoring is prepared in the jambs. In the second phase, when the window sill and the façade are finished, the whole system is attached. The assembly is then very quick and easy.
Where shading also entails pleasant climate
Hot regions such as Israel, Greece or Italy have a preference for slats of the C-80 type with a guide wire. “The Israelis use these blinds to shade large glass surfaces where the blinds cannot be technically anchored in the guiding rails.”, says Pavlína Huňková from NEVA.
The C type slats are popular in the south because they can be tilted to both sides. Most households and also administration buildings use them to direct the light into the area where it is needed in the room.
“The customers use the C type in buildings without central heating to let the sunlight enter the room, thus pleasantly heating it. In the summer months, they use the general advantage of external slats by turning them the other way round to reflect the sunrays away before they reach the windows. In this way, the interior does not overheat and the indoor temperature is far more pleasant compared to the hot streets.
“If you design shading for the given climatic environment wisely, the blinds will become a helper that creates a pleasant climate in the interior even in the hot summer.”, says foreign market expert Pavlína Huňková. If you desire external shading in the latest trends, please contact one of our dealers. He will gladly show you the benefits of each trend in real conditions.
