Catherine Hill Bay Residence: Improving Comfort, Weather Protection and Airflow with Doric Paraflow Louvres

How Doric Paraflow helped resolve air leakage, water ingress and comfort issues in an architecturally designed coastal home.

A high-quality residential design should feel as good as it looks.

For this architecturally designed home in Catherine Hill Bay, NSW, the original design intent was clear. The residence featured high-performance glazing, strong indoor-outdoor connection and a considered architectural approach suited to its coastal location.

However, approximately two years after completion, the homeowners were experiencing ongoing issues with the original single-glazed louvre windows.

Air leakage, water ingress and heat transfer loss were affecting internal comfort. The louvres were also creating concerns during severe weather, with rattling, leaking and reduced confidence in how the windows performed when closed.

Doric Paraflow Dual Blade Louvre Systems were selected to improve the performance of 18 windows across bedrooms, bathroom and lounge areas, while retaining the existing window frames.

The result was a more comfortable, energy efficient and durable outcome, without compromising the architectural intent of the home.

The Project

Located in Catherine Hill Bay on the NSW coast, the residence is an architecturally designed home with high-performance glazing.

The project involved removing single-glazed louvre windows and installing Doric Paraflow manual louvres across key areas of the home.

The window locations included:

• Bedrooms
• Bathroom
• Lounge areas

With 18 windows included in the scope, the project required a louvre solution that could provide reliable performance across multiple rooms and conditions.

The Challenge

The homeowners were experiencing several issues with the original louvre windows, including:

• Air leakage
• Water ingress
• Heat transfer loss
• Reduced occupant comfort
• Noise and rattling during severe weather
• Reduced confidence in exposed conditions

These issues were particularly important given the home’s location and design quality.

In exposed residential environments, louvre windows need to do more than provide ventilation. They must also support the performance of the building envelope when closed.

The project also had an important installation constraint.

The existing window frames were not to be removed or compromised. This meant the selected replacement system needed to be highly adaptable, suitable for the existing conditions and capable of improving performance without requiring major disruption to the surrounding glazing.

The Doric Solution

Doric Paraflow Dual Blade Louvre Systems were selected for the project because they offered the combination of performance, flexibility and installation suitability required.

To further enhance performance, the client selected a combination of LowE-coated and clear glass, creating an energy-efficient window system.

Paraflow was chosen for:

• High performance
• Energy efficiency
• Ease of installation
• Customisable sizing options
• Customisable control options
• Suitability for the existing window frames
• Improved sealing for an exposed site location

The system allowed the homeowners to retain the natural ventilation benefits of louvre windows, while improving comfort, control and protection from the elements.

For architects and specifiers, this is one of the key strengths of the Paraflow system. It supports airflow and ventilation while also addressing the practical performance demands of modern residential design.

The Outcome

The completed installation delivered a significant improvement in how the home feels and performs.

The homeowners reported a noticeable improvement in comfort after the first window was installed. They also experienced a major reduction in noise and greater confidence in the windows during severe weather conditions.

Their feedback captures the impact of the project:

“We are very impressed with the way the Paraflow louvre operates. We can control the amount of airflow to suit the internal and external temperatures. When the first window was installed, we noticed a significant difference comfort internally and the noise reduction is amazing. We can now relax knowing the windows are watertight and don’t rattle and leak in severe weather conditions.”

The result is a more comfortable, durable and energy efficient home, with louvres that better support the way the residence is designed to be lived in.

Why This Project Matters

This project is a valuable example of how louvre performance can influence the overall comfort and usability of a home.

Natural ventilation is an important part of residential design, but it should not come at the cost of weather protection, acoustic comfort or energy efficiency.

The Catherine Hill Bay residence demonstrates how Doric Paraflow louvres can help resolve performance issues while preserving the benefits that make louvre windows so desirable in the first place.

For specifiers, the project reinforces the importance of selecting louvre systems that are appropriate for:

• Exposed locations
• High-performance residential glazing
• Retrofit and replacement applications
• Projects where existing frames must be retained
• Homes requiring improved comfort and airflow control
• Designs where ventilation and weather protection must work together

The right louvre system can help improve not only airflow, but the total performance of the space.

Project Snapshot

Project: Architecturally Designed Residence

Location: Catherine Hill Bay, NSW

Project Type: Residential

Customer / Fabricator: DGB Commercial Glazing

Product Used: Doric Paraflow Manual Dual Blade Louvre Systems

Scope: 18 windows

Applications: Bedrooms, bathroom and lounge areas

Doric Representative: Peter Velloff, Dan Gibson

Built for Better Residential Performance

Doric Paraflow Dual Blade Louvre Systems are designed to support natural ventilation, airflow control and improved performance across residential and commercial applications.

For the Catherine Hill Bay residence, Paraflow helped transform louvre windows from a point of concern into a source of comfort, control and confidence.

Contact Doric to build your next project.