flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Built-in balcony: New skylight windows can fold out to create a patio

Built-in balcony: New skylight windows can fold out to create a patio

The skylights also incorporate energy efficiency measures.


By BD+C Staff | June 10, 2014

If you've ever wished for a balcony that would allow you to enjoy a beautiful day from your own home, it might be possible for you to add one.

Fakro has developed skylight windows that turn into a balcony, according to Inhabitat. Made for pitched roofs, the panes open outward to create a small open-air platform. For safety, a slide rail is built-in and moves forward when the bottom window is pushed out.

After the initial phase of transformation, then the top window opens upward at a 45-degree angle. One window allows enough balcony area for one person, but multiple windows can be installed together for more space. 

All balcony windows are glazed to block solar gain and allow better interior insulation. When closed, the guard-rails fold up so that the windows look like standard skylights. In addition, the windows' automatic air inlets encourage air circulation, meaning residents will require less climate control.

 

When pushed out, a built-in guard rail protects anyone standing in the balcony space.
 
 
When closed, the windows look like ordinary skylights.

Related Stories

| Oct 22, 2021

The Next Chapter For 147-Year-Old Shepley Bulfinch

Boston-based architecture, planning, and interior design firm Shepley Bulfinch recently named Angela Watson, FAIA, as its President and CEO. Watson sat down with BD+C's John Caulfield to discuss her strategic plan, which emphasizes perspective and collaboration.

Giants 400 | Oct 22, 2021

2021 Airport Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. airport facilities sector

AECOM, Hensel Phelps, PGAL, and Gensler top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest airport sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.

Giants 400 | Oct 22, 2021

2021 Sports Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. sports and recreation facility sector

AECOM, Populous, Kimley-Horn, and HOK top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest sports and recreation facility sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.

Multifamily Housing | Oct 21, 2021

Chicago’s historic Lathrop public housing complex gets new life as mixed-income community

A revitalized New Deal–era public housing community in Chicago brings the Garden City movement of yesteryear into the 21st century.

Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Oct 15, 2021

7 game-changing trends in structural engineering

Here are seven key areas where innovation in structural engineering is driving evolution.

| Oct 14, 2021

The future of mass timber construction, with Swinerton's Timberlab

In this exclusive for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sat down with three Timberlab leaders to discuss the launch of the firm and what factors will lead to greater mass timber demand.

Multifamily Housing | Oct 12, 2021

Affordable and sublime: 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing

These projects prove that it’s possible to develop aesthetically pleasing, high-quality housing for low-income families, the homeless, and veterans.

Building Owners | Oct 12, 2021

6 ways building owners can own their construction projects

Building owners have an important role in executing their capital projects and can greatly increase their project’s chances of success by understanding and actively managing a few key factors.

AEC Tech Innovation | Oct 7, 2021

How tech informs design: A conversation with Mancini's Christian Giordano

Mancini's growth strategy includes developing tech tools that help clients appreciate its work.

Green | Oct 6, 2021

My reaction to the UN IPCC Climate Change 2021 report: Ugh!

The recent report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is not a happy read.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021