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

Transit Facilities | Mar 25, 2015

Kengo Kuma selected to design new Paris Metro station

The new station will serve as a hub to connect Paris' northern suburbs with the core.

Green | Mar 25, 2015

WELL Building Standard introduced in China

The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying and monitoring features that impact human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.

High-rise Construction | Mar 24, 2015

Timber high-rise residential complex will tower over Stockholm waterfront

The four towers, 20 stories each, will be made entirely out of Swedish pine, from frame to façade.

Higher Education | Mar 23, 2015

Hong Kong university building will feature bioclimatic façade

The project's twin-tower design opens the campus up to the neighboring public green space, while maximizing the use of summer winds for natural ventilation.

Religious Facilities | Mar 23, 2015

Is nothing sacred? Seattle church to become a restaurant and ballroom

A Seattle-based real estate developer plans to convert a historic downtown building, which for more than a century has served as a church sanctuary, into a restaurant with ballroom space.

Government Buildings | Mar 23, 2015

SOM leads planning for Egypt’s new $45 billion capital city

To alleviate overcrowding and congestion in Cairo, the Egyptian government is building a new capital from scratch.

BIM and Information Technology | Mar 23, 2015

Skanska hosts three-week 'hackathon' to find architect for Seattle tower development

Searching for a nimble, collaborative design firm for its 2&U tower project in Seattle, the construction giant ditches the traditional RFQ/RFP process for a hackathon-inspired competition.

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 23, 2015

Can advanced elevator technology take vertical hospitals to the next level?

VOA's Douglas King recalls the Odyssey project and ponders vertical transportation in high-rise healthcare design.

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 22, 2015

New Joplin, Mo., hospital built to tornado-resistant standards

The new hospital features a window and frame system that can protect patients from winds of up to 250 mph. 

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 19, 2015

Populous design wins competition for UK's most sustainable arena

The live-concert venue will seat an audience of 12,000, which the firm says will be masked by “the atmosphere and intimacy of a 4,000-seat amphitheatre.” 

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




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