Beautiful and transparent building with movable glass

Innovations in windows and facades

The German Design Council recently honored window and facade specialist Solarlux with a double 'winner' award at the German Design Award 2024. In the 'Excellent Product Design' category, sliding/sliding system Proline T and minimalist sliding window cero IV were awarded for their high-quality and trend-setting product design.

2023 was a year of important innovations for Solarlux. At the BAU in Munich, for example, the new Proline T sliding/turning system for glass balcony facades was successfully launched. And a new series of the cero sliding window also attracted a lot of attention. 

Proline-T: the next generation of balcony facades

The Proline T sliding/turning system is being welcomed with open arms by architects and building owners. For example, as full-glazed floor-to-ceiling glazing on facades, balconies, terraces, loggias and conservatories that must meet high air/noise insulation requirements, says Architectural Consultant Stefan Mäkel. "The sliding/drawer system demonstrably stops dirt, rain and exterior noise (up to 22 dB). Various test reports of this can be found on our website."

The balcony glazing creates a so-called "second skin" of the exterior façade. "The transparent sliding/turning system acts as an intermediary between outdoor and indoor climates and cleverly utilizes the air warmed by the sun, allowing residents to enjoy additional living and entertaining space in both the early, high and late seasons. Thanks to the ingenious system, they can ventilate as they wish and set the sliding/rotating panels in a day/night ventilation position to make the best use of the weather conditions. In fine weather, Proline T can also be opened fully."

High quality and transparent solution

Design was explicitly taken into account in the development of Proline T. "Thanks to excellent product engineering 'Made in Germany' and optimized manufacturing processes at our production site, it was possible to produce aesthetically narrow profile views of 30 mm deep and a maximum of 60 mm high," says Mäkel. "This results in extremely slim profiles at the top and bottom, ensuring a transparent view." The German Design Council jury justified its choice as follows: "With sliding/drawing system Proline T, facades, balconies and loggias up to 3 meters high can be fully glazed. A high-quality solution that elegantly emphasizes the modern design language of buildings'.

Proline T not only won the German Design Award 2024, but was also previously awarded the ICONIC AWARDS 2023: Innovative Architecture by the German Design Council. Upon request, Proline T can be combined turnkey with the Solarlux SL Modular balustrade system.

cero IV: for architecture full of light

Solarlux's extremely large-format cero sliding windows (6,000 x 3,000 mm) have been providing seamless transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces for years, says Mäkel. "Both in private homes and multi-story residential buildings or in commercial properties such as offices. The innovative cero IV ensures optimum thermal insulation, more daylight and an even more elegant appearance in the building envelope. For example, thanks to profile views that are barely perceptible in the façade plane. This is thanks to the structural glazing effect, which reduces horizontal sight widths to just 20 mm. When the sliding doors meet, only a view (bell jar) of 34 mm remains. That is truly unprecedented." 

The jury's reasoning confirms this: 'Solarlux's cero IV sliding window impresses with its special transparency. This allows daylight to penetrate the building even better, making interiors appear even brighter'.