Sustainability: Operable “Double-Skin” Façade Concept

NanaWall recently sent a group of architects, project engineers, façade-envelope consultants, and developers from the US on a “Façade Tour” of Amsterdam and Germany, to introduce the concept of an operable “double-skin” façade and demonstrate the possibilities from a design and engineering perspective.

One of the tour's main attractions was the Co2mfort building in Nijverdal, Netherlands, designed by NanaWall's European Partner, Solarlux. The SL Co2mfort-Façade achieves sustainable, climate-neutral living based on the idea of a "sailing boat not a motor yacht;" it uses only a small amount of necessary technology, otherwise powered only by nature: solar and geothermal energy. The versatile façade of the building consists of two layers of folding glass doors, the WD65 folding glass door with a wood frame and the SL25 all-glass panels. Completely closed, the double-skin façade offers maximum thermal insulation and solar heating, but opening either the inner or outer layers can influence the room temperature by allowing in natural ventilation. The double folding façade  motivates staff to interact with the building to adjust room temperature for individual comfort, considerably reducing the amount of energy required for both heating and cooling the premises.