Window Design Considerations

[puntloos]

(sorry 'window design' is a hard term to search for on the forum..)

 

What considerations play into designing a window other than price(*)?

 

- Is a 'massive' window, floor to ceiling the most impressive?

- Is a window that starts at 1m from floor a good compromise?

- Should you try to fill the full width of the room with a window? Or leave some frame?

- Are solar gain (and cost) the only downsides to large windows?

- Are there any aesthetic rules to windows design, e.g. would you give all windows the same distances from the side walls? Or all the same size (even if the rooms differ in width)?

 

Is there some rulebook? Is it purely taste/aesthetics? 

 

(*) price is not unimportant but when designing I don't yet want to be limited by that particular parameter.

[Nick1c]

Massive (f to c) is impressive.....but there isn’t much increase in light, overheating is increased, you loose thermal efficiency, useable room space & in our case it complicates weathering the cill. Does your view full the whole space? If not framing it with a smaller window might give as good or better an effect without the downsides & for less money. 
We have some large opening lights, the walls can create a fulcrum to overload the frame so we will need restrictors. 
Get the installation logistics sorted out & reliable fitters - we were delayed by 5 months over this. 

[Gone West]

5 hours ago, puntloos said:

Should you try to fill the full width of the room with a window? Or leave some frame?

We have a single storey gable end on our sitting room which is just over 4m high. We decided to have it 3/4 glazed to have it look a little different to the normal fully glazed gable. It also reduces heat loss as the corner of the gable faces North. The biggest installation consideration is the weight of the glazing which in our case was 6mm triple units. The installers broke one of the units carrying it from the front to the back of the house. IIRC it weighed 150kg and was unsupported.

 

 

[eandg]

I am going to piggyback on this thread and ask about the windows position within the windows (i.e. where it sits within the void). In an ideal world I'd like to maximise ledge space (for window seats and allowing wee bits of art and the like to be displayed) so would prefer the windows to sit on the external wall if it all possible but presumably that means it's not part of the airtightish envelope? Is there any way to mitigate against that? Also, if the kit manufacturer (like Scotframe do) can install windows off-site presumably that will include any lintels of structural considerations? I hadn't got that far in considering this option with them before the shutdown and am curious.  

[Mr Punter]

9 hours ago, puntloos said:

- Is a 'massive' window, floor to ceiling the most impressive?

No.  It depends on outlook, orientation, room use.  Often small slot windows allowing glimpses of the outside can be effective and dramatic.

- Is a window that starts at 1m from floor a good compromise?

Handy for means of escape and standard worktop height.

- Should you try to fill the full width of the room with a window? Or leave some frame?

Some space either side if you have curtains.  Depends on the aesthetic you are aiming for.

- Are solar gain (and cost) the only downsides to large windows?

Glare from sun can be very unpleasant. It is the light equivalent of hard surfaces creating unwanted echo.

- Are there any aesthetic rules to windows design, e.g. would you give all windows the same distances from the side walls? Or all the same size (even if the rooms differ in width)?

These date back thousands of years.

Is there some rulebook? Is it purely taste/aesthetics? 

Nothing definitive. Look at examples of what you like and work out why.

(*) price is not unimportant but when designing I don't yet want to be limited by that particular parameter.