Modern Windows

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

A more comfortable indoor environment, more security and more energy-efficiency to save on heating and cooling, are some of the expectations of modern windows. While tilt & turn windows and lift-slide sliding doors have been common in Europe for decades, these opening types are fast becoming a much-loved part of Australian homes.Frame MaterialsTimber is very much in demand for its biophilic and health properties and its natural look. Timber also re-grows, hence it is a sustainable material that provides strength when manufactured into European style window and door frames. These frames are generally 68mm thick, or for even higher performance

Window Trend for 2024

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Large expanses of glass are definitely the trend for 2024. To achieve this modern look and the connection to nature while still creating a comfortable indoor environment, the thermal performance is important with double or triple glazing and high-performance frames. Expanse of glazing Views, space, light, glass, natural, sun etc. are words that show people’s aspirations when building or renovating, and real estate sites mention the same. Large, glazed areas ensure an indoor-outdoor feel of openness and connection to the environment which boost our mood, health and wellbeing. It also let’s natural daylight in to make a room appear larger and enables

BAU Expo Munich

Thursday, June 22, 2023

Tony Paarhammer and Andrew Ferguson were part of the 190,000 visitors at the BAU Expo in Munich end of April, gaining insights into all the newest products on show. The 2260 exhibitors from 49 countries included the following topics which might also become significant for the Australian building industry: Façade insulation and secondary façade insulation, Prefabrication and materials to streamline the building processes, Lifting equipment like small tower cranes to make work easier on the building site, Solutions to reduce or eliminate thermal bridging in building envelopes, Low and zero level thresholds with drainage and thermal breaks, Screws, bolts, connectors for the timber construction industry, Low VOC

Glazing - Latest Trends

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Would you like thermal comfort, natural acoustics and safety and protection, or all in one? Glazing companies have now developed glazing to suit highest energy efficiency and comfort: Viridian Viridian has released a new type of glazing: Vista Tech and Vista Tech XP. Both are triple glazed Insulating Glass Units (IGU’s) with either 1 coat of Low-E or 2 coats of Low-E coating, and a warm edge spacer. Viridian mentions that there are minimum sizes of 600mm x 400mm to maximum sizes of 5000mm x 3100mm, subject to component, spacer and weight limitations, and the maximum unit area permitted under

2x Passive House Tradesperson

Tuesday, February 08, 2022

Paarhammer is proud to have 2 certified Passive House Tradespeople on staff and congratulates Thomas Paarhammer (Paarhammer Windows) and Andrew Ferguson (Siegware - Architectural Innovations) to the successful completion of their course. ‘A PHI Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CPHT) is equipped to implement the Passive House building standard. They have passed the accreditation exam issued by the international Passive House Institute, and they are in a unique position to work with design teams that have targeted Passive House certification as a project goal.’ is stated on the Australian Passive House website. Passive House is a holistic construction certification standard, that

International Year of Glass: 2022

Monday, February 07, 2022

Glass is a major part of window and door products and of our daily work here at Paarhammer. But with its unparalleled versatility and technical capabilities, glass provides so much more to our society like glass optical fibers, containers for life-saving medicine, optical glasses, support of solar cells, glass fibre, glass art and so much more. Therefore, the United Nations has decreed the year 2022 to be the Year of Glass. As window makers, we require glass in sheets, first flat glass was used and later float glass. The float glass process was invented by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1952

What is the largest size for sliding doors?

Tuesday, December 07, 2021

Giant lift-slide doors can be made up to 400kg per leaf. This means that a height of 3.4m and a width of 2.5m (maximum of 8.8m2) per sliding leaf is entirely possible, or a slider leaf height of 2.4m with a width of 3.6m (again at a maximum of 8.8m2) can be made. Stacker lift-slide doors can be made up to 14m wide. Even large sizes like these can be easily moved manually and glide smoothly, and single slider configurations can also be automated. How lift-slide doors work: With a turn of the handle the slider lifts up to free

Passive House Presentation

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Tony Paarhammer has been invited to record a presentation for the South Pacific Passive House Conference 2020. The virtual conference will take place from the 12th to the 16th of October. The Window and Glazing Performance presentation shows facts and figures of why all window ratings are not equal. Learn about the main differences between international standards and what to look out for to achieve the best results. The Australian AFRC / WERS, North American NFRC, European EN, ISO and Passive House ratings are discussed, and key differences explored. Boundary conditions, centre or edge of glass, reference sizes and installation

Views with Functionality

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Form follows Function: but sometimes in a house design you want to achieve both. Imaging sitting at the dining table in this room or on the lounge, your eyes are drawn to the distant hills. Your views are not interrupted as large fixed panes are used here as picture windows. The main three fixed glazed areas are balanced on the left- and right-hand side of the central sliding door, and directly above, combining gorgeous views with functionality. The lift-slide door in the centre of this combination allows for easy indoor-outdoor living and invites you to explore the great outdoors. But

Triple Glazing - Even Better

Monday, May 27, 2019

The trend for even better energy efficient buildings led Paarhammer to ever more research and development. And it seems clients appreciate it. While a large part of the window industry is still struggling to accommodate double glazing – often into existing frames which are not made to carry the extra weight – clients want more. Just in the last few months a number of orders placed at Paarhammer specified that even triple glazing with clear glass was not enough. Hence the new combination on offer is triple glazing with Viridian LightBridge; Low-E in the Architectural Timber or composite Wood-Alu Range.

Paarhammer joins Passive House Association

Thursday, September 22, 2016

With excellent energy efficiency ratings, Paarhammer products are a perfect fit for passive houses. We have now joined the Australian Passive House Association. On their website: ‘The Australian Passive House Association is an independent, not-for-profit organization which aims to promote Passive House principles as a way of providing superior indoor comfort and air quality while reducing energy use and carbon emissions from Australia’s buildings. Passive House (or PassivHaus) was originally developed in Germany and has since spread throughout Europe (and the rest of the world – authors note). The standard continues to evolve and is now finding popularity in diverse

U-values, European versus Australian

Monday, September 12, 2016

U-value calculations are not the same the world over. Australia has decided to follow the American NFRC (National Fenestration Rating Council) system when making calculations for the Window Energy Rating System – WERS. U-value measures how well a product allows heat to pass through. It is a measure of the rate of non-solar heat loss or gain through a material or assembly. The lower the U-value, the greater a window's resistance to heat flow and the better its insulating value. The whole window assembly is tested which includes the effect of the frame, glass, seals and any spacers. What does