Ventilation element

Ventilation elements in the exterior wall of a building under the thread of explosion have to be ram-resistant, prevent the penetration of rain and snow, and direct the escaping hot explosion gases in a direction in which they will not harm anybody. The ventilation element according to the invention is assembled from V-shaped profiled sheet-metal strips (11) which have been formed by extrusion and, depending on the site of application, have their V-tip pointing either downwards or upwards. In the former case, the rainwater is collected in the V-profile and channelled away from there, and in the latter case, the rainwater is collected in the free edge (19), which is bent to form a channel and belongs to the inwardly directed V-leg (18), and channelled away. The inner side of the ventilation element may additionally be covered by a perforated plate (14). The two different types of ventilation elements may be combined to form a ventilation system for buildings (24) under the threat of explosion.