Facade & Windows

On 1 September 2025, Daniel Feische will move to the Glass Technologies portfolios as the Director and will be fully responsible as of 1 December. He succeeds Lars Wismer, who is taking on the role of Regional Head Messe Düsseldorf for Asia in Singapore.

The completion of the first glass grid shell for the new Stuttgart railway station marks a significant milestone for the Stuttgart 21 infrastructure project. With the completion of this impressive steel and glass dome by seele, a visible connection between the new underground track hall and the city center has been created for the first time.

Heritage meets innovation in Ontario, Canada: +VG Architects revitalised a historic school into a vibrant community hub. With wooden louvres embedded in glass, the facade delivers daylight, solar control and a warm, modern aesthetic – all while respecting the past.

Turning groundbreaking research into real-world applications takes persistence and vision. Lithium Designers has moved from academic roots to international projects — and continues to expand its 3D-printing solutions for facades on a global scale.

Chiara Sträßner is taking over the organization of the trade fair for windows, doors and facades. Elke Harreiß, who has been with the trade fair for over 20 years, will remain as Head of Department. In this short interview, Chiara Sträßner talks about her connection to trade fairs and her goals for the future direction of FENSTERBAU FRONTALE.

The ift-Guideline EL-06/1 "Vandalism-resistant Building Elements and Facilities" describes test methods and requirements for the classification of components such as doors, gates, roller shutters, curtain walls, windows and fixed glazing regarding their resistance to vandalism. Here is more on the validation services offered by ift Rosenheim.

Sustainability, structural performance, and manufacturing constraints are critical factors in facade construction. The use of 3D-printed nodes offers new answers to old challenges – from reducing material waste to outperforming traditional components.

Photovoltaics, both in the facade and on the roof, clearly is a key source of power for the residential sector. Not all residential buildings are the same, however. Four models of implementing PV in multi-family homes are possible: In Part 1 we showed you how the power can be either used within the entire building or just to operate the shared services. Today we present the other two models.

A cooperation between ift Rosenheim and the University of Patras in Greece allows them to meet the growing demands of their customers. With its "FireUP" fire testing centre, the University of Patras provides the testing facilities for preliminary tests and official ift tests. More on the cooperation here.

While glass facades are an indispensable part of contemporary architecture, they often pose a risk to birds. At the Museum Folkwang in the German city of Essen, this problem was resolved using marking elements from Seen. The measure combines effective bird protection with design restraint.

Innovative construction methods are transforming the way facades are designed and built — and 3D-printed facade nodes plays a key role in this shift. From unlocking geometric freedom to streamlining digital workflows, these technologies are redefining structural components like nodes.

The SJD Pediatric Cancer Center in Barcelona is one of the largest children's cancer centers in Europe. Geze supported the implementation of healing architecture with integrated door systems that combine accessibility, safety, hygiene, and an appealing design.

The requirements for modern living space are changing: Today, people want spaces that can be flexibly adapted to different living situations and climatic conditions – both in new buildings and when retrofitting existing structures. Loggia glazing offers an architecturally and functionally convincing solution.

This is a strong signal for the future of the industry being sent by FENSTERBAU FRONTALE 2026: Next year, the trade fair will be presenting its Innovation Award for the first time. The new award is intended to recognize groundbreaking new products that impress with their innovative strength and appeal – and thus create real added value for the world of windows, doors, and facades.

At an altitude of 2315 m, accessible only by gondola, the Rudolfshütte mountain hotel welcomes its guests on the shores of the Weißsee lake. The traditional hotel in Austria's Hohe Tauern National Park has been fitted with heroal window and door systems, which ensure energy efficiency and comfort with optimum tightness even in strong gusts of wind.

As official media partners of the Advanced Building Skins Conference & Expo in Bern, Switzerland, we are happy to announce that we will be giving away 10 free tickets to the international event happening later this year. Click here on how to enter.

As the Pathé Palace, a Belle Époque building in the heart of Paris now restored to its former glory, shows, warm-edge spacers can play many more roles than simply increasing energy efficiency and indoor comfort. There is a growing demand on the aesthetics, processing quality and production-related advantages of the product. See here more details on this stunning project and how Edgetech’s Super Spacers fit the bill.

H.B. Fuller | Kömmerling will be participating in the Glass Performance Days (GPD) in Tampere, Finland, from June 10 to 12, 2025. At the Nokia Arena, the company will be presenting its forward-looking technologies and solutions for the further development of the modern glass industry under the headline “Glass – The In/Visible Impact”.

At the Advanced Building Skins Conference & Expo in Bern on November 3 and 4, 2025, over 100 international architects, engineers, scientists, and representatives of the construction industry will present new projects and developments in building envelope design. Here you will find details and the registration link.

The Quality Association for PVC Window Profile Systems has reorganized its management team. Christian Fischer from Schüco is taking over as Chairman of the Board, succeeding Michael Stöger from Rehau, who has held the position for many years.