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The conference, ‘Window Systems and Their Installation – A Tool for the Energy Transformation of Buildings’, was aimed at architects, designers, contractors and investors. Its content partners were the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt and the Polish Passive Building and Renewable Energy Institute. The programme covered both design considerations and practical solutions involving glass, window installation, airtightness and the control of solar gains.

Window systems are a tool, not just a building element

One of the conference’s key themes was the impact of windows and glazing on actual energy consumption. Kamil Wiśniewski, architect and Director of the Polish Passive Building Institute and the Healthy Building Academy, pointed out that window systems are still too often approached in a purely conventional way. In reality, their importance for the performance of an entire building is far greater.

– Window systems are a specific tool. How we use them depends largely on us – investors, contractors and architects. The way a project is managed and the solutions selected determine whether we achieve a specific effect and a specific result, Kamil Wiśniewski stressed.

The expert also noted that designing buildings with very low energy demand requires considering the building as a whole. He has been designing buildings to the passive standard for many years and, through the Healthy Building Academy, also contributes to educating people involved throughout the investment process – from investors and contractors to engineers and architects.

According to Kamil Wiśniewski, the changes concern more than technology alone. As the energy transformation of the construction sector progresses, regulatory requirements, products available on the market and the way investments are financed will also evolve.

– Changes are being prepared for the coming years that are intended to stimulate this market. The financial sector also has enormous potential here. On the one hand, banks will want to reduce the risks associated with the changes ahead; on the other, they will want to attract customers who are developing buildings that meet the new requirements, he said.

Glass is becoming increasingly sophisticated

Maciej Mańko, representing Saint-Gobain, spoke about how rising energy requirements are creating new challenges for manufacturers. His presentation, ‘From Glass Performance to Building Performance: Glass That Contributes to the Energy Balance of High-Performance Buildings’, focused on the impact of glazing properties on the performance of an entire building.

– Glazing is becoming increasingly complex, while solutions are becoming more hybrid. We use laminated glass and thicker panes, while selective and low-emissivity coatings are becoming increasingly important. All this makes achieving the required performance increasingly challenging, Maciej Mańko explained.

As he noted, one of the challenges is balancing multiple requirements simultaneously. Glass must provide adequate thermal insulation, safety and solar control, while at the same time avoiding unnecessary restrictions on the amount of natural light entering the building.

– Glazing is becoming increasingly darker. As a manufacturer, we therefore aim to provide solutions that, on the one hand, meet the expectations of designers and investors and, on the other, contribute appropriately to the building’s energy balance, said the Saint-Gobain representative.

From glass to the entire building

This holistic approach was at the heart of the conference. The programme covered not only windows and glazing themselves, but also their interaction with ventilation, heating and cooling systems. Experts also discussed optimal window installation, restoring airtightness in existing buildings and controlling solar gains. Individual topics were illustrated with examples from real-life projects.

In practice, this means a change in the way we think about windows. They are no longer simply products selected at the final stage of a project based on a handful of technical parameters. Their size, position, construction, type of glass and method of installation can all influence a building’s heating and cooling demand, as well as the comfort of its occupants.

(MBrz)