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 / 09 / 22
The Basics of Doors and Windows – A Conversation with Architect György Hoffmann
Huge, transparent surfaces that create almost a direct connection with the surroundings. Architect György Hoffmann believes that in modern architecture, there is no longer a need for walls, as windows and pillars can also fulfill the structural functions. Our conversation also reveals what primarily influences the thinking of architect-designers and what it takes to establish a common language between the client and the designer.
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2019 / 04 / 08
Three KAV buildings received the ALUTA Award of Excellence
After the successes of the past two years, three KAV buildings were awarded with the ALUTA award of excellence, the only quality recognition of Hungarian aluminium window, door, facade manufacturers, in the “small project”, i.e. residential building, category.
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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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2023 / 01 / 26
The issue of shading is becoming increasingly important
The changing economic environment and rising energy prices are also impacting the construction industry. But how might the market for premium segment windows change? According to KAV's CEO, Károly Lovász, the focus will shift towards the issue of shading, and it is crucial for builders to select companies with a stable background and a qualified workforce.
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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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2020 / 05 / 12
Uniquely developed coating against viruses and bacteria
Az egyetlen építőipari szerkezet, amellyel az ember kontaktusba került, az a nyílászáró. Közvetlenül a kilinccsel és a fogantyúkkal érintkezünk, amelyek segítségével nyitni, zárni tudjuk a szerkezeteket. A fejlesztők a hagyományos megoldások mellett ma vírusokat és baktériumokat semlegesítő bevonatokkal, egyedi felületkezelési megoldásokkal és újrahasznosított, minimalista designú termékekkel is kísérleteznek.
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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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2022 / 08 / 11
The market for shading in Hungary
Although, in the past, residential properties tended to be built in Hungary without shading, today it is a priority in the design process. Due to climate change, it is just as important for property to provide an optimal thermal performance in the summer period as it is during winter. For this reason, KAV began designing customised shading. Of course, when introducing an innovation, we need to take into account the nature of the Hungarian market. KAV’s Managing Director, Károly Lovász, talks about the most exciting developments.
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2021 / 06 / 02
Architectural design of aluminium doors and windows in our time
The aim of the KAV team is to provide our customers with all the solutions for their unique doors and windows needs, whether it may be a minimal window, a frameless sliding door, an aluminium front door, a blind or even a curtain wall. Most customers start looking for windows when they already have the finished designs, but we increasingly often see, during the consultations, that these designs are not detailed enough. We talked about the correlation between architectural designs and the door and window solutions with Csaba Mravik, KAV Hungária’s chief development engineer of.
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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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2019 / 09 / 12
Reykjavik under construction on-site visit to the Marriott Edition Hotel construction site
Our staff design, manufacture and deliver façade windows and the vast majority of aluminium building elements for the most complex hotel construction project to date in the capital of Iceland.
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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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2019 / 10 / 03
We make our decisions based on local characteristics
Our cooperation is very good, and I think it is very important that both sides work transparently. You have to think of it as shared engineering thinking and a creative process as we work together.
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2019 / 03 / 29
A house where the doors and windows shaped the design process
What they design, they can do, they guarantee in the long run, and they can operate such a property. We can be sure that the company will not disappear.
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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 / 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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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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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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2021 / 08 / 05
This is how aluminium doors and windows are made
Wondering how an aluminium-framed window or door is manufactured? What happens in the machining centre? How are aluminium doors milled, reinforced, and machined in the production process? What is the size of glass surfaces that can be produced? And how to assemble a window?
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2018 / 06 / 19
Using aluminium closing structures might be cheaper and more appropriate
In connection with aluminium closing systems, durability, sleek design and a wide range of application opportunities pop into the mind of most people. Still, due to financial constraints many people do not consider this option when it comes to family home design. We spoke with Károly Lovász, managing Director of KAV Hungária, about the when using aluminium closing systems might pay off.
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