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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2023 / 03 / 30
Do we need large glass surfaces everywhere?
Our colleagues are increasingly encountering residential building plans in which large glass surfaces dominate. These concepts are understandable not only from a design perspective but also because of transparency, connection with the environment, and the continuous influx of light. However, in many cases, they cannot be realized, or they require significantly higher investments and more complex alterations to the plans. In our new series, we explore the topic of the dimensions of glass surfaces with Mr. Károly Lovász, the CEO of KAV, and Mr. Csaba Mravik, the Chief Development Engineer.
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2019 / 07 / 07
A smart home requires a different kind of building use awareness
Smart homes are no longer a feature of futuristic novels and films but a part of our present. When building premium-class homes, automation and building systems that help its inhabitants’ live are often a basic requirement, which also affects the design of windows and doors. Our new series introduces you to the world of smart homes. Our goal is to provide adequate knowledge for decision-making and for starting the design of a house.
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2021 / 10 / 21
Aluminium curtain wall with arches and large glass surfaces
The design was one of the biggest challenges in the production and installation of the aluminium doors and windows of the Reformed Kindergarten in Svábhegy, since more than 700 individual solid angles had to be calculated to create the aluminium curtain wall, which was not only a segmental arch, but also broken at the bottom and top edges. We talked about this process with Zoltán Erdélyi, KAV’s senior engineer.
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2023 / 05 / 15
The Role of Windows in the Design Process, an Architect’s Perspective
Kenyeres László, a leading architect at the Archista architectural firm, believes that villa buildings can be considered small form factor public buildings. This is why he considers it crucial to consult with window and door specialists multiple times during the design process. This approach helps avoid situations where window and door companies have to "re-design" certain parts of the building during the construction phase.
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2021 / 01 / 14
Aluminium doors and windows and a flexible business model
As a company specialised in custom doors and windows, KAV is constantly striving for innovation and renewal, while maintaining the values it is worth building on. As a member of the Gamechangers professional community, we strive to share best business and organisational practices. We talked to the founder of the initiative, Gábor Csóti, about how the coronavirus epidemic has changed the operation of businesses and
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2019 / 05 / 22
Wind pressure is the biggest challenge for doors and windows designed for Iceland
Our company, is involved in the doors and windows solutions of the Marriott Hotel, being built near Harpa, one of the symbolic buildings of Reykavík. The Icelandic architecture and the weather conditions on the island require different systems from the ones we are used to at home, so the KAV team has also built a prototype for this work, taking into account, among others, the installation and insulation aspects. Details were given by Norbert Kiss, architect consultant and Csaba Mravik, chief development engineer.
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2018 / 10 / 17
The house that fascinates with its clean simplicity
Premium, minimalistic, clean simplicity – these are the adjectives that immediately come to our mind seeing the residential property dreamt on the basis of the Porsche design. The building was implemented after a design process, unusual from an architect’s point of view, since the developer arrived with very specific plans and designs. We talked about this extraordinary work with the architect, István Unicsovics.
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2022 / 08 / 18
The architectural design of glass structures demands special expertise
Although one of the most modern façade elements is glass, numerous problems can arise during the design process if the glass structures used have not been properly thought through. As to what makes these glass structures special, and why it is important for competent sector designers to deal with these building elements even during planning, we spoke with chartered architect György Mihály Stocker, reader in the BUTE Faculty of Civil Engineering, and vice-president of ALUTA.
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2017 / 12 / 20
Ethical operations raise even SMEs to the top
Following the large enterprise sector, operating ethically is becoming increasingly important for small and medium-sized enterprises, too. These companies not only take into account the interests of their clients and suppliers but also those of their environment and employees. They set an example by their activity and attitude and strengthen trust. This attitude may constitute a basis for long-term operation and economic stability, and what is more, employees of the Y and Z generations are more eager to opt for an ethically operating workplace.
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2022 / 02 / 24
Aluminium window trends based on customer needs
When it comes to aluminium windows and doors, the name ‘KAV’ has become associated with custom client needs. Many of the ideas and plans that come to our attention can lead later on to the development of aluminium windows and doors. So, if we want to present the trends for 2022, it is worth starting with what Károly Lovász, Managing Director of KAV, and Csaba Mravik, Chief Development Engineer, have experienced and what products are now being sought by builders of family homes.
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2023 / 06 / 29
The Art of Installing Large Glass Panels: A Technical Journey with KAV
In recent times, we have shared several recordings depicting the installation process of large glass surfaces as part of KAV's daily operations. To shed light on the distinctions in window installation and preparation when incorporating larger glass sizes into a property compared to standard glass dimensions, we interviewed Mr. Péter Nagy, Senior Engineer, and Mr. Károly Lovász, CEO of KAV.
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2015 / 02 / 15
A facade is not a private matterv
I think this company has a sincere desire to do good. There's a precise company executive who really wants to do the best he can, and this desire affects the whole company. And that's what the customer sees.
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2017 / 10 / 26
KAV received an ALUTA Award of Excellence again
In the “Small project” (i.e. residential building) category KAV received the 2017 ALUTA Award of Excellence for the special facade of its Zugliget family home reference, for its engineering work and implementation.
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2022 / 09 / 01
The key to the realisation of large-scale glass structures is thinking together
Huge glass structures are definitive elements of modern buildings. It is therefore especially important that architects create the plans while thinking together with sector designers. On the questions arising while designing and constructing glass façades, we spoke with chartered architect György Mihály Stocker, reader in the BUTE and vice-president of ALUTA, who played an outstanding role as specialist consultant in the construction of the Hungarian House of Music in its present form.
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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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2024 / 02 / 14
THOSE ABOUT WHOM WHO NOBODY EVER TALKS, OR THE EMINENCES OF MANUFACTURING PREPARATION
KAV’s customers come into contact with several of our colleagues in the bidding, preparation and construction processes in the course of a job. These are our sales and estimation colleagues, our technical and manufacturing preparation engineers, our project engineers, and then our installation specialists. It is very rare that the end-user comes into contact with the manufacturing preparation engineers. In this article, we’d like to describe the work of these professionals in connection with the Continental Golf Club construction project.
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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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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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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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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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