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May you don\u2019t know us yet, let\u2019s have a quick introduction: we are ERA architects.
\nActually, I am Esther Rovira, architect and passive house designer in Barcelona, Catalonia and Andorra for either passive houses, efficient houses and positive houses.
\nIn this post \u2018 Why is the window frame so important in a positive house?\u2019, You will find our professional recommendation.
\nI hope it helps, let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n
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The window frames of a positive house have to achieve two things: airtightness, insulation and avoid thermal bridges.
\nThe first depends on different agents. The other two are strictly tied to the frame material.
\nLet’s see how to achieve both:<\/p>\n
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1) How to achieve the tightness of the frames Next, specify what material will be used to achieve air tightness from the outside and from the inside. A quick anecdote:<\/strong> <\/p>\n 2) How to get insulating frames and avoid thermal bridges Let’s then review the different materials on the market for passive houses to see how they behave. Aluminum Fiberglass<\/strong> PVC<\/strong> Wood<\/strong> <\/p>\n Our professional recommendation:<\/strong> You may also be interested in: <\/p>\n Hope this post \u2018 Why is the window frame so important in a positive house?\u2019 is helpful!<\/p>\n Best of luck on this adventure. P.S. Wanna get FREE tips for your project weekly?\u00a0Yas!<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>or follow us\u00a0on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0Pinterest<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0y\u00a0Facebook<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why is the window frame so important in a positive […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[603],"tags":[355,138,629,142,623,630,628,165],"class_list":["post-7618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-passive-house-architect-barcelona","tag-architect-barcelona","tag-architect-passive-house-barcelona","tag-clt-house","tag-english-speaking-architect-barcelona","tag-passive-house-en","tag-passive-house-barcelona","tag-positive-house","tag-wood-house"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>The tightness of the frames depends on their correct detailed architectural design and their installation.
\nTherefore, in the first place it is the obligation of the architect.
\nThe architect designs the construction detail by placing the frame on the floor plan and specifying where the continuous line of airtightness goes (called a red pencil check).<\/p>\n
\nEspecially in the connections, such as frames-walls, and also frames-floor and, if necessary, frames-ceiling.
\nThis is usually achieved with special products that expand with changes in temperature.
\nThey come in different formats, basically on tape or expandable foams. (Note that the foams will likely be polymer based.)<\/p>\n
\nIn most low-quality construction, the main cause of the loss of comfort is the low-quality windows installed. I have an architect friend who always tells me how he remembers studying as a child in front of his window table with a lot of papers on it. She can perfectly capture the image of her papers being slightly moved by the draft coming through the window on a windy day, so she had to place her pencil case on top of the papers to get some concentration. I bet she had to wear a scarf too!<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The frames come in different materials.
\nAs you may already know, different materials cause them to behave differently with outdoor temperatures.
\nWhich also means that, depending on the materials of the structure, you will end up with a naturally insulating material or a thermal bridge with the winter cold outside (see our post What is a thermal bridge? for more detailed information).<\/p>\n
\n(Note that this is a list of market offerings. Most are not made from natural materials. If you only want natural materials, then you will recognize wood on this list.)<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Although there is a wide variety of aluminum windows with thermal break certified by the Passive House Institute; personally this option does not convince me (for now).
\nAluminum is a material with high thermal transmittance (this means that it transmits a lot of the temperature from the outside to the inside and vice versa).
\nFor aluminum joinery to meet the insulation levels required by a passive house, these joinery have multiple insulating chambers with added insulating foams.
\nThis increases the dimensions of the joinery to a minimum of 110-119 mm.<\/p>\n
\nThis material has very little use.
\nThe reason it is on this list is because there are manufacturers who have certified frames made of this material.
\nSo this material is thermally better than aluminum, but it’s not even close to the thermal performance of PVC. This material is almost 10 times stronger than PVC and much more stable (with less expansion and contraction with changes in temperature).
\nThey tend to be wide (105mm bot lane) and have very high durability.
\nThere are only 8 manufacturers of this type of joinery in the world and 6 are in China.
\n(Note: I have never heard of anyone using this material for frames in Spain.)<\/p>\n
\nAt the moment, the material with the best thermal performance and value for money are PVC windows.
\nIn other words, it is your most economical and thermally insulating option.
\nStill, you should know that they are a bit ugly, with massive frames that do not allow for large openings (101mm on the bottom rail).
\nIt is also important to note that PVC is Polyvinyl Chloride and that, like all polymers, its base is petroleum (usually more than 40%!).<\/p>\n
\nIt is the most consistent option because wood is naturally insulating.
\nDespite the fact that they tend to be thicker (117-121mm on the lower door), today you can find models with minimal carpentry (98mm on the lower door).
\nThe only two drawbacks are: its price and its maintenance.
\nYou can avoid maintenance with mixed wood carpentry with a piece of aluminum on the outside. Of course they are the most expensive of all.
\n(Note: In the Eixample district of the city of Barcelona, \u200b\u200byou are forced to use wood in your frames. Sometimes even to use a certain type of color. This is to protect the urban landscape of that centennial neighborhood).<\/p>\n
\nAsk your architect to provide you with the U value of the window frames.
\nSo you can know if he knows how to design a positive house or not.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/era.archi\/why-are-windows-important-in-a-positive-house\/<\/a><\/p>\n
\nSee you on the next post,<\/p>\n![\"architectBarcelona\"](\"https:\/\/era.archi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/architectBarcelona47-150x150.jpg\")
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