Founded in 1948, Construction Specialties (CS) is a family-owned, specialty building products manufacturer. CS provides solutions to challenges that architects, designers, building owners, facility managers, and contractors face every day. Since inventing the first extruded louver, CS has become a global leader in product categories such as: expansion joint solutions, architectural louvers, sun controls, and architectural elements. Drawing upon our decades of experience, CS provides extensive services resulting in high-quality products found in some of the world’s most significant architecture.
Construction Specialties headquarters in LEBANON, NEW JERSEY, U.S.A.
LOUVERS & GRILLS
Available in a variety of profiles, our diverse line of louvers can meet the airflow requirements of any project and achieve the aesthetic you’re looking for. Whether you need extreme weather performance, an eyecatching system that makes a statement, or any number of capabilities in between, CS has you—and your building—covered.
EXPANSION JOINT SOLUTIONS
Our knowledge of thermal, windsway, settlement, and seismic building movement allows us to offer a comprehensive line of expansion joint systems and advanced solutions for nearly any building type. These systems can be used in floor, wall, ceiling, exterior, traffic grade, and stadium applications.
SUN CONTROL SOLUTIONS
The perfect daylight management solution lets the right amount of light in while allowing occupants to comfortably see out. From sun controls to daylight systems, we have options to reduce glare, heat gain, and energy usage. These systems can be custom designed to attach to any building type.
BETTERBUILT STUDIO
With BetterBuilt Studios, CS offers custom screens and perforated sheets. You can creatively manage daylight and create unique architectural statements on your buildings. Go a step further by adding custom print graphics, photography and more with Facades by Design™
PRODUCT VIDEOS
Learn more about Architectural Louvers in CS Louvers 101.
DESIGN & EDUCATION (FAQs)
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Louvers enable an exchange of air, allowing for efficient cooling and preventing equipment from overheating. This means louvers contribute to a building’s energy performance. They can also have a creative impact on design, leading with sleek details, or feature unseen benefits like sound attenuation from acoustical louvers.
Good ventilation is necessary for your building for many reasons. A fresh air supply for your HVAC system improves the function of the unit, helping it to last longer and require less maintenance. On top of that, fresh air is useful during the summer months to help cool off the air in your building, reducing the need for your air conditioning system to work as hard. This translates to savings on your energy bills.
Proper ventilation is also essential to limit the amount of condensation that builds up in the building. As you already know, moisture is the official nemesis of steel buildings and ventilation is the superhero that can combat it. Louvers provide the right amount of airflow to keep condensation from building up and can save you so much money in repairs and maintenance costs, not to mention being able to use the building for many more years.
Another problem with moisture in buildings is the fact that mold and mildew love to grow in moist, dark places. A building with poor airflow and plagued with the resulting condensation problems will typically have mold problems as well. Not only can this be damaging to the structure of the building, but also poses a serious health risk to anyone who breathes the air, particularly for an extended period of time. -
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When designing a data center, you must consider the environmental conditions within the space. Airflow, cooling, and circulation are essential when huge banks of hot equipment occupy a space. The question of how to intake and exhaust air doesn't have to stump you. Depending on your geographical location, you may also have to consider how to keep out extreme wind or rain, sand, dust, and debris. Ventilation doesn't have to be a restriction, it can be an opportunity-the perfect opportunity for a louver system.
Popular CS Architectural Louvers for Data Centers:
This vertical-oriented louver system is taking the market by storm with its unprecedented performance under the most extreme conditions. This architectural louver meets both AMCA 540 and 550 certifications. This is a great option to use in your intake areas, specially in hurricane-prone regions.
This 6” deep, high-performance drainable blade louver is tested and certified by AMCA. At 57.6% free area, it is a great option to use in your exhaust areas.
RSV-5700 is a 5” deep, storm-resistant louver, available in both horizontal (RSH-5700) and vertical (RSV-5700) orientations. This model offers moderate free area and a very low pressure drop, and is tested and certified for AMCA 540.
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With Sun Control Solutions, your design can take on intricate patterns, sleek textures, vivid colors, and even LED lighting.
Cantilevered sunshades are suited for installations where loads from wind and snow need to be distributed over a larger area and back to the building's structural support system.
Cascading sunshade blades are mounted with suspension cables instead of solid aluminum outriggers to filter natural light without obstructing the view. They provide an appearance of floating blades.
Fin systems are architectural elements applied on a building’s facade to enhance the exterior and provide a visual effect. They can be provided as individual blades or as pre-assembled panels. Available in vertical and horizontal orientation in sizes ranging from 2’’ and 24’’+. Custom blade shapes and sizes are available.
Supported by bird mouth brackets, frameless systems have the appearance of floating in front of a building’s facade. They can be provided as individual blades or pre-assembled panels. Available in vertical and horizontal orientations, in sizes ranging from 2” to 24+”. Custom blade shapes and sizes are available.
Suspended sunshades are suited for installations where loads from wind and snow need to be distributed over a larger area and back to the building's structural support system.
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Acoustical Louvers provide water resistance and airflow performance. They are ideal anywhere there is a need to minimize sound levels and where ventilation is required.
Blast-resistant louver models are designed to withstand blasts up to 12 PSI, which meet and exceed government requirements.
Construction Specialties Bold Line Louvers don’t just perform beautifully—they are beautiful. And they’re anything but boring.
Extreme-Weather & Storm-Resistant Louvers
Designed to let air in and keep water out, these louvers are tested for wind-driven rain and/or impact performance to ensure they will stand up to the most extreme weather conditions.
An economical approach to airflow solutions for industrial or manufacturing buildings, standing up to more extreme conditions such as high temperatures.
Operable Louvers can be controlled manually or by using an actuator device so you can close them to keep weather out or open them to facilitate air intake or exhaust.
Perform Louvers provide the air movement, security, and sight-screening performance of our standard louvers, under the cover of a modern perforated aluminum skin.
Use Thinline Louvers where depths greater than 3" are not practical. These louvers are ideal for thin wall and curtain wall applications.
Traditional louvers offer high free area and high air flow with a low pressure drop. These economical louvers come in a variety of frame and blade styles, including drainable and non-drainable options.
Mitigate air and water from entering non-ducted areas by applying Blank-Offs to any specified louver. Add more protection with bird or insect screens.
Custom Louvers
There’s no limit to what you can create with CS. Custom design louvers of any size, shape, color or innovate entirely new ideas.
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“Construction Specialties (CS) believes that 'better' is a product of shared opportunities. Construction Specialties is a leader in architectural product problem solving because we embrace our customers' complex challenges to deliver world-class solutions. Our goal is to understand our customers' individual design needs and provide inspired solutions for a more "intelligent built" environment.”