Searching for the ideal window
01 Utility: Size & operability

What should a window do?

While Vitruvius gave the terms in the sequence firmitas, utilitas, venustas, both Alberti and, following him, Palladio, reversed the order of the first two. Throughout history, utilitas progressively acquired importance, notably with JeanNicolas-Louis Durand’s claim that the fulfillment of function was the sole essence of architectural beauty, and especially with the Modern Movement that stated that “form follows function”.

Minimalist windows are a system that explores the structural properties of glass, allowing fully operable large (and extra-large) glazed surfaces with extremely slender frames. It results from the combination of different manufacturing and post-processing methods, particularly glass tempering and lamination alongside with structural bonding with modified silicones and silyl-based polymers. Unlike traditional window systems, the role of the frame is to ensure motion, air- and watertightness and, only if needed, additional structural reinforcement.

Therefore, panoramah!® is all about precision, efficiency, durability, easiness of use and maintenance. The sliding glass panes are balanced and self-centred by the modular double bearing rails, offering a light and smooth operability even with large panels up to 29sqm, weighing up to 1.800kg/m. These one-metre-long rails are easily maintained or replaceable, ensuring the system’s exceptional reliability throughout time. panoramah!® system accommodates an unlimited number of panes up to 60mm double- or triple-glazed units, which can be motorized for extra easiness of use.

Additionally, panoramah!® offers a very high flexibility of opening typologies – horizontal and vertical sliding, tilted (skylight), pivot and tilt-and-turn products – and multiple configurations – curved layouts, opening corner solutions, pocket sliding configurations. With different thermally-broken materials – aluminium, stainless and carbon steel, architectural bronze, and composite wood – the system is able to respond to the specificities of each project. Furthermore, from design to manufacture and installation, panoramah!® answers for the complete system, both glass and aluminium. Having streamlined glass transformation, adaptation to the system and transportation to the job site, panoramah!® rendered an apparently risky and complex procedure into an everyday job.

Click to read the chapter:
00 Introduction
02 Strength: Performance
03 Delight: Aesthetics & beyond