News

Congratulations to point0 for winning 4th prize in the housing competition! Windows of Opportunities supported the team on reuse strategies, focusing on window reuse — from integrating reclaimed glass in curtain walls to doubling standardized windows for high thermal performance.

Some of the windows collected in Amden now form the meeting room of co-struct. The timber structure is built from reused wood, and the entire construction is designed for disassembly — nothing is glued.

Our researcher Michelle Schneider will present her paper on windows and circularity at the SBE25 Conference on June 26. The paper explores strategies to extend the life cycle of windows through reuse and recycling approaches.

At the AEC Hackathon in Winterthur, our team developed the foundation of a specialized window database. The prototype includes a feature that automatically evaluates the reuse and recycling potential of windows, setting the stage for a digital tool to support circular strategies in the building sector.

We recently took out several windows and effortlessly removed them in seconds – including the frames. These double-glazed windows from 2020 are in excellent condition. We are currently investigating whether they can be reused in new projects.

As part of the CBI Booster with RE-WIN, we have jointly produced a publication in which the various players in the supply chain for the reuse of windows are tracked and evaluated. The book is available to order now.

Our research and our prototype are now documented in the “Raum für Wissen” platform, in which selected knowledge of a physical and immaterial nature created in Hall 180 is visualized and placed in a larger context.

On 25.11.24, the Joint-Master Freiburg held its final critique at the Blue factory. The students spent a whole week working on a 1:1 scale on various re-use materials, including windows. Michelle Schneider was invited to the final presentation as a guest expert.

Together with RE-WIN, we were invited by Cirkla to host a webinar on the reuse of windows in Ukraine and their potential for Switzerland. The webinar will soon be available online for all interested parties.