A refined aesthetic for doors and windows
2020 / 04 / 21
The popularity of the minimalist style in architecture is one of the reasons that aluminium doors and windows entered the family house sector. Applying the principle of “less is more” to architecture led architects and designers to use unique solutions and austere or transparent surfaces. In a minimalist home, simple shapes and forms help create an atmosphere of harmony, where space itself serves humanity.
Minimalist art is rooted in the United States of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The concept is based on the thesis of Mies van der Rohe, “less is more”. During the design process, an architect defines all surfaces and facades as unbroken planes, possibly only switching between undivided planes, and using as few kinds of materials as possible. In this approach, surfaces are stretched between two defined planes, i.e. the ceiling and the floor. These may be made of clear and noble materials, such as bricks, stone, or facade panels, or transparent structures, such as doors and windows made of aluminium and glass. Such transparent surfaces are more than mere functional structures (open, tilt-and-open); they constitute independent and dominant units, such as fixed or sliding walls that define living spaces. In that role, custom doors and windows follow the principles of purity. There is no room for window-straps, so straps and iron parts remain hidden; knobs are replaced by sliding door handles that are also commonly hidden. As plenty of natural light is essential for the minimalist style, designers often use frameless sliding doors and minimalist windows to achieve greater transparency. Automated operation, motor-driven locks, bluetooth control and fingerprint scanners may improve the clear aesthetics of doors and windows.
As minimalism gains ground in Hungarian design, demand for floor-to-ceiling, undivided, transparent front structures and timeless materials is on the rise again. Through the increased use of triple-pane thermal glass and re-defined weight limits, the minimalist style is now driving the spread and popularity of aluminium windows and doors, and of unique windows and doors in general.
A refined aesthetic for doors and windows
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2022 / 10 / 20
Huge glass walls in a villa with breathtaking features
The glass is the soul of the villa designed by architect Péter Koch, the head of Nara Studio. The unique, distinctive building achieves its floating effect through the almost endless glass surfaces, providing the owner with a perfect panoramic view and an unparalleled sense of connection with the environment. We asked the architect about the design process of the building and the collaboration between the various aspects of the project.
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2020 / 10 / 01
Frameless sliding door structures with an architect’s eye
Each project poses a different challenge to architects and to door and window professionals as well. One of our reference concepts is based on the unlimited view created by the wing-opening roof and the space stretched by the floor. Filigree division solutions, as well as frameless sliding mechanisms, were the main solution to achieve maximum transparency. We talked to the architect Orsolya Glavanovics about the issues raised by the aluminium door and window solutions implemented during the design and construction, who the Myd-II Interior Design Stúdióval planned it jointly, house operating on this for the special fenestration solutions.
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2019 / 01 / 09
Reflecting the environment with closing systems
The KAV approach helped a lot in its implementation. They talk to the customer and they don't want to sell a product, they want to answer questions and look for a solution.
I did not have to choose from a catalogue, so I was not forced to choose from a set of solutions, but was offered individual solutions to a given problem. Of the companies I worked with, KAV gave me the most technical support.
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2019 / 11 / 28
Dubai, the city of superlatives
Dubai is now the world's fastest-growing city; one that was built up over several decades, almost from scratch. Here you will find the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, 828 metres high; its airport is often called the most dynamic and artificial islands and breath-taking architectural structures attract millions of tourists to the city every year. The continuously growing Dubai will also be the venue for the 2020 Expo. This year, the professional path of the 20-year-old professional association, ALUTA, led to this metropolis presenting innovative architectural trends.
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2018 / 12 / 19
Old buildings with a new function
Hamburg, the third busiest port town in Europe, was the destination of the professional trip organised for ALUTA (aluminium window and facade association) members, on which László Cserki and Károly Lovász represented KAV Hungária. We had a conversation with Károly Lovász about the German town’s urban and architectural concepts and one of the newest emblematic buildings of Europe, the Elbphilharmonie.
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2019 / 08 / 29
For a smart home, product selection is key
For a newly built property, in terms of windows and doors, one of the most important questions is whether prospective residents would like a building management system in the house, as all solutions need to be tailored to this in the design phase. For today's systems, system-specific connector units and auxiliary modules must already be planned and positioned so that they can remain completely hidden.
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2023 / 03 / 21
Special KAV doors and windows in Költő Kert
MTVA's innovation magazine program, Novum, made a report on the special glass elements and door and window solutions of the 5,000 square meter Költő Kert villa park, a building complex that is also considered special in Europe. Environmental awareness, innovation, organic architectural elements with transparent huge glass surfaces, and a way of thinking in which visual culture also plays a prominent role. One of the biggest challenges in the Költő Kert villa park was the special solutions that the KAV staff had to create at the junction of the raw concrete surface and the glass membrane. Károly Lovász highlighted in the report that KAV's engineers and employees had to solve many challenges during the planning and execution, whether it was thermal technology, sun protection, mechanical engineering, glass railing connections or waterproofing. The result is a simultaneously organic and high-tech building, which is considered exceptional in Hungary not only in its appearance, but also in its innovations.
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2018 / 12 / 12
KAV closing systems also in Iceland
It has been a well-kept secret for a long time, and today many in the facade and structure building business are also talking about KAV’s new undertaking. Aluminium closing system products manufactured according to special customer demands are not only interesting due to their specific technical and weather requirements but also because of the installation location.
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2022 / 08 / 04
Development by KAV of customised shades
The hot and dry summers experienced over the last few years due to climate change have made suitable shading solutions ever more important. However, the standard systems available on the market do not meet individual customer needs either in terms of movement mechanisms or their form. That is why KAV’s engineers are offering customised aluminium shades that reflect contemporary trends in building. Károly Lovász, Managing Director of KAV, provides an insight into these special solutions.
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2019 / 10 / 24
KAV production unit in Kisbér
Our company has started an investment in Kisbér in Komárom-Esztergom County. In addition to the production tasks, we will also carry out a number of preparatory and design work tasks at the factory's 3-acre site and their offices near the city. Károly Lovász, Managing Director of KAV, gives an insight into the possibilities and future plans of the new special windows and doors factory.
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2018 / 09 / 26
Windows in the service of maximising the view
Frameless windows are favourite elements in houses built in modern and minimalistic styles, since, thanks to the nearly invisible frames, the external and internal spaces almost connect; in this way, nothing disturbs the view, and also natural light may flow into residential spaces through a greater surface.
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2020 / 07 / 23
Clean shapes, large glass surfaces
In the exclusive family-home market, connection with the environment and the transparency that enables it have clearly become the most important factors in the domestic and international trends in custom doors and windows. On behalf of Etna Kft., KAV is participating in the construction of a building with three fully glazed facades. We talked about that special project and the most important directions of the sector with Nikos Zisidis, the executive manager of the client company.
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2022 / 01 / 10
Aluminium windows and services at KAV Home
KAV started off selling aluminium doors and windows for family houses professionally in Hungary. Thanks to this, and our unique working method and approach, we have been market leaders in our field for many years. Thanks to KAV Home, aluminium doors and windows are now available to a wider range of customers in the field of family house projects. We spoke to Erzsébet Kardos-Tamási, head of sales, and Károly Lovász, Executive Manager of KAV, about the services we offer in this product range.
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2021 / 01 / 06
With unique windows to Norway
Aluminium windows and doors also play a prominent role in Norwegian architecture, not only in public construction, but also in residential buildings and condominium investments. The long-term goal of KAV is, after Iceland, to gain experience in Norway, so it applied for admission to the Hungarian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce (MNKK). We talked about the possibilities with the founder of the chamber, Klára Jankovics, and Beatrix Kosztyi, foreign economic attaché, the secretary-general of the chamber
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2017 / 09 / 05
We build for the future rather than for today
Clear shapes, large glass surfaces, spacious interior spaces and creative use of materials – these are the main features of the most predominant architectural style of our era, minimalistic design, in which interest is outstanding in Hungary. However, the number of really well designed and built minimalistic family homes is relatively low. The property our engineers consider as one of the best designed ones our company has met in recent years was built in Budapest. During the project we paid increased attention to the design of large, liberally designed glass surfaces, essential for creating open spaces. We had a conversation with the developer of the house about what was needed to create this property.
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2022 / 02 / 08
THE MARKET SHARE OF ALUMINIUM WINDOWS AND DOORS IS CONTINUOUSLY INCREASING IN RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS
The market share of aluminium and steel doors and windows in Hungary is constantly increasing with regard to single-family home projects as well. However, even in this stable market, the year 2021 introduced a number of unexpected situations: cancelled professional events, shortages of raw materials and supply chain disruptions. We spoke to Károly Eiles, the company's investment and general contracting consultant, about the impressions with which Alukönigstahl Kft. (the distributor of Schüco and Jansen systems in Hungary) closed this challenging year.
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2019 / 05 / 16
The evolution of blinds
Climate change and increasingly sophisticated customer demands have accelerated the evolution of shading systems, not just of windows and doors. While in the past the goal was complete darkening, nowadays light control and maximum transparency are the main considerations. Thanks to this, most client choose lamellar and textile shadings.
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2022 / 02 / 11
Aluminium window and door development trends and tendencies
Ever-increasing dimensions, ever-increasing load capacity, automation and integration of structures. These are what Reynaers' staff see as the most striking trends in the development of aluminium windows and doors. We spoke to Zoltán Nagy, Head of Reynaers Aluminium Hungary, and Gergő Hajas, Sales Support Engineer at Reynaers Aluminium, about their experiences and trends they saw in 2021.
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2018 / 11 / 14
Facade structures for full transparency
Curtain walls connect several large glass surfaces into a single structure, many times in an invisible manner. Initially these elements were exclusively used in communal building technology but, with the penetration of the minimalistic style, it also appeared in the family home segment. Today it is the most dynamically developing branch of the closing structure market, in that these surfaces are suitable for individual solutions where only the imagination of the client and the designers can set the boundaries.
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2019 / 03 / 13
The evolution of closing systems in Hungary
If one spends many years in a specialised technical segment, sometimes answering questions from a professional interviewer will inadvertently recall the period from the beginning to the present. Studying the evolution of window and door products used in residential buildings is also instructive, because fashion always changes along with demand and financial opportunities. Everyone sees the past differently - we, Hungarians are special in this - but sales figures outweigh perceptions.
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