The vital mechanical equipment is being protected by more than 350m2 of louvres from Gilberts. Located on Levels 5 and 6 of the court perimeter, 176 panels of WH75 high performance weather louvres were designed, fabricated and delivered to site within a tight time-frame to ensure action on court could proceed uninterrupted during the tournament.

The screening weather louvres form a key part of the outer wall façade element of the £70m refurbishment of  No. 1 Court, which, for 2018, has included new hospitality and support facilities together with a fixed and retractable roof, all executed by Prater. 

All the Gilberts louvre panels and doors are removable to facilitate access to the plant behind; predominantly removable from the inside, a select few have been specially engineered with front face lift-off panels where rear access is not possible. 

Gilberts sales director Ian Rogers said: “With such a prestigious project, it mattered more than ever that the building components and materials were compliant. With our in-house technical expertise, we were able to develop initial designs, complete with bespoke detailing, supported by full specification criteria to prove our louvres would comply with the required Class A weather rating @ 0.5m/s face velocity – and we turned the order round, from initial enquiry to delivery, within a matter of weeks.”

Gilberts WH75 single bank louvres are proven, under European Standards, to be 99.5 per cent effective in screening/exhaust applications, still delivering 99 per cent effectiveness even with a 1m/s face velocity. They feature a unique blade design which is central to the louvres’ ability to deliver high performance, efficiently preventing water ingress and draining it from the pane while still delivering a free ventilation area of 50 per cent.