Contemporary Home Design Calls for Exterior Opening Glass Walls

Nestled within a quiet neighborhood, this sprawling contemporary residence has eliminated the barriers to indoor/outdoor living—quite literally. When it comes to patio doors, the traditional French door or slider option may no longer cut it, especially in a time when more people are seeking an enhanced connection with the outdoors. For these homeowners, the solution was to tear down the walls and replace them with moveable exterior opening glass walls that could make better use of the interior spaces adjacent to the expansive garden and backyard. The result was beyond their expectations.

Exterior Opening Glass Walls Take Open Concept to the Next Level

The goal was to optimize the main living spaces with flexible openings that could facilitate transitions to the backyard and optimize views of the garden. The conventional sliders that opened the living spaces to the patio did not offer the flexibility or thermal efficiency that the family desired. Rather than being restricted to only half of the opening, the homeowners wanted to make full use of the opening to successfully merge the indoors for the outdoors and make extended family gatherings a lot easier. So instead of replacing the sliders, they tore down the walls and replaced them with folding glass wall systems.

The Floor Supported Design Solution

Working alongside their local NanaWall representative, the homeowners looked at all available opening glass wall options and ultimately settled on three floor-supported folding glass wall systems to minimize construction costs and challenges. Floor supported systems eliminate the need for header pre-cambering since the weight of the systems falls entirely on the tracks. Additionally, the smaller head-track required allows for larger panel sizes and more glass, resulting in increased views and a cleaner look. In the dining room, the two walls connecting to the patio were torn down as well as the wall in the adjacent living room.

The Ideal Space for Entertaining

With the exterior opening glass walls open, the homeowners are able to achieve the desired indoor/outdoor effect in all the living areas—an advantage when hosting large gatherings. The indoor amenities become easily accessible when lounging by the pool with easy access to the kitchen and guest bathroom. When entertaining, guests can enjoy a nice meal and quickly transfer to the outdoor areas for continued fun. The homeowners can easily customize the space with one, two, or all three folding glass wall systems open at a time. When the systems are closed, specified swing doors at the jam facilitate transitions inside and out.

Weather Performance and Thermal Efficiency

NW Aluminum 840 is the most thermally efficient system in the Generation 4 Folding Glass Wall product family making them ideal exterior opening glass walls. A patented Bionic Turtle® design acts as a thermal break for additional weather protection and also houses the system’s locking rods for a cleaner look. Additionally, NanaWall Systems offers double and triple glazing for enhanced weather performance. Even in the coldest Winter, interiors are maintained at a comfortable temperature as the folding glass wall systems protect from the cold, even when sitting right up to the glass.

Generation 4 Folding Glass Walls by NanaWall

With nearly four decades of innovation, NanaWall has once again redefined the category with Generation 4 Folding Glass Walls. The NW Aluminum 840 features the slimmest frames in the market and the smoothest operation for flexible floorplans on the fly. The slim frames offer more glass to maximize transparency, natural light, and views to the outdoors. These folding glass wall systems are also the only floor-supported system with FourFold and SixFold Panel Sets that can move and stack either to the right, left, or center, allowing for larger opening sizes and flexible space management.

Final Thoughts

The transformation completely dramatized the backyard, elevating the home with the indoor/outdoor experience and enhancing its overall value. Compared to the restrictive sliders of before, the new exterior opening glass walls offer the flexibility of three large openings that maximize the functionality of the interior living spaces as they seamlessly spill into the outdoors. The customizable options made available to them ensured the delivery of the perfect systems that met their lifestyle needs and enhanced home aesthetics.

Explore how others have transformed their homes with NanaWall exterior opening glass walls in our extensive residential applications library!