Door Industry Journal - Summer 2018

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk Entrance & Bi-folding Doors Curvaglide® system coolly slides past bi-folds Massive sliding curved glass doors with class-leading Low-E values have been developed for the luxury housing market by Surrey specialists Balconette. Curved sliding patio doors may well replace the Bi-Fold phenomenon over the next decade, with a new system pushing the boundaries wider than ever before. Described as an architect’s dream design flourish, Balconette have re-engineered sliding curved glass from the ground up. The newly-launched Curvaglide® system is bespoke built for the curved facades that are becoming ever more popular in the luxury housing market. The range also benefits from Balconette’s new in-house development of Soft Low-E coating application, which brings energy efficiency levels for curved glass up to leading levels for flat glass for the first time. Exclusive product The newly-launched Curvaglide® system is bespoke built to fit curved facades. Enhanced tracks and rolling mechanisms mean previous width limits have been greatly expanded, with installations of up to 19 metres already completed. Customisable options mean the doors can be overlapped in a variety of different configurations. Both the curved glass and matched frames are made to measure in-house by Balconette, who have UK headquarters 40 minutes outside London. The sliding mechanism uses 2 or 3 tracks, allowing customised configurations of fixed and sliding doors. The smallest configuration uses just 2 panes, both sliding to reveal a 50% opening. For larger installations, up to 4 doors can be slideable. Low Energy Curve The ‘Low-E’ glass used in the Curvaglide® system is another unique feature developed by Balconette, providing greater comfort and much better energy efficiency. Curved glass is usually provided with a ‘hard’ Low-E coating to cut down heat transference. The soft Low-E coatings used by Balconette are far more advanced and reduce heat transference by an extra 30%. The Curvaglide® system uses Guardian SN51/28 glass, with a centre pane U value of 1.0 W/mK – significantly better than the best hard coat Low-E U-value of 1.5 W/mK. For more information go to: www.curvaglide.balconette.co.uk